


A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

by CaptEdKenway



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, BAMF Stiles, Deputy Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale & Laura Hale Are Twins, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Knotting, M/M, Murder Mystery, Other, Panic Attacks, Stiles is a dad, Surgeon Derek Hale, True Mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-05-17 19:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 72,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5882374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptEdKenway/pseuds/CaptEdKenway
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While enjoying the beginning of a great relationship with the incredibly hot doctor Derek Hale, his son's cardiologist, Deputy Stiles Stilinski takes the lead on a murder case and he finds there's more to it than meets the eye. When he gets too close to those responsible, they decide the good deputy needs to be warned off the case. Will Stiles survive long enough to discover who is leaving a trail of bodies down the coast of California? Or will he recover one too many clues...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

Beacon Hills Memorial was fairly busy for a mid-morning week day as Derek made his way down the hallway, heading to room 102 of the peds unit. He was tired and was looking forward to getting off in a couple more hours. He’d been on call since 2am and had already dealt with two emergencies on top of his usual rounds and scheduled appointments. He brushed the crumbs left behind by the muffin he’d quickly eaten off of his dark blue scrubs as he came to the room. Not only was he tired but he was starving, grabbing a muffin brought in by the charge nurse whenever he could and shoving it down his throat.

Derek picked up the chart from the clear plastic holder on the wall, just to the side of the door. Opening it he perused through the file, quickly scanning it to refresh his memory of the details on the patient inside the room. Part of him winced at the age of this one, while another part sighed in relief that at least it wasn’t another geriatric patient. Not that he had any aversion to his older patients, it just seemed like today every mean, cranky curmudgeon had come in to see him today. Must be something to do with the full moon, he thought. He knew the ER was going to be crazy tonight and he was very glad he would not be on call tonight. He just had to finish his rounds this afternoon and then he could leave for the evening. He had a cold beer with his name on it waiting for him.

He closed up the file folder and knocked on the door before opening it and walking in. Closing the door behind him he smiled at the nervous looking boy sitting in the lap of a man who didn’t appear to be much younger than Derek.

“Hi there Colin, I’m Doctor Hale, how are you doing today?” Derek asked the little boy who instantly sank back into what was presumably his father’s chest, turning his head away from him and bringing a hand up to his mouth to gnaw on his thumb. Derek could practically smell the fear wafting off the small child, which was very common. No kid liked coming to the doctors. His dad leaned in to him, telling him quietly to say hi back to the doctor.

“Hi.”

Dad looked up with an apologetic look as he raised his hand to Derek to offer a handshake. “Sorry, he’s really worked up and scared. I’m Stiles, his dad.”

Derek shook the man’s hand before grabbing the wheeled stool and sitting on it in front of the boy. In the seconds it took to do that Derek had noted the uniform and Sheriff’s badge on his chest, sidearm at his hip. And the most amazing colored eyes Derek had ever seen.

“That’s quite alright, it’s rare to have someone in here who isn’t scared to some degree.” Derek smiled again as he set the folder down and wheeled himself in front of the boy a little more. “So Colin, how old are you buddy?”

Colin looked up at his dad, who nodded at him, before looking back to Derek and quietly responded by holding up four fingers.

“Four years old? What a great age. So I know you’re scared but I wanted to show you some things that I brought with me and maybe you could help me out with them, is that ok?”

When the little boy nodded his head shyly Derek rolled over to the counter and grabbed a bag, then wheeled back over while also pulling a rolling tray over with him. He put the tray in front of Colin, then plopped the bag on it and unzipped it. It was an old fashioned black leather doctor’s bag, and as Derek liked to call it, his bag of tricks.

“OK so I need to find my stethoscope, let’s see if it’s in here…” Derek began to rummage around and began pulling various items out, mumbling to himself things like, ‘where in the world did I put it,’ and ‘I think it’s time to clean out my bag,’ before he started putting things on the tray.

He pulled out a floppy plush hammer, looked at it critically, before dropping it on the tray. “Nope, that’s not it.” Next came a dog bone, then a squeaky cat toy with mumbles of, ‘that’s for a different kind of patient’, then out came a scarf, which he quickly threw around Colin, then a seriously ugly floppy hat that he put on himself, a pair of giant sunglasses came next followed by a rubber chicken that Derek stuck out at Colin and said, “here, hold this for me, would you?” which got a snort out of the little boy. The next item looked like a can and he pretended to try and open it, struggling and struggling before giving it to the boy.

“Can you open that for me? Maybe my stethoscope is inside here,” he said. Colin twisted the top off and squealed in laughter when the fake snake popped out of it. “Well crikey that’s not it!” Derek said, with mock exasperation. He dug in one more time before letting loose an “Aha! There it is!” before pulling out the stethoscope. He was glad to see he’d managed to get some laughter out of the scared little boy, and it seemed to have broken the ice with him. He’d worked with kids for a long time and had developed some tricks to alleviate their fear.

Derek put the ear pieces in and grabbed the chest piece, rubbing it between his fingers to warm it up. “OK big guy, you’ve seen one of these before right?” The little boy nodded his head. “OK great, so you know it doesn’t hurt, it just lets me hear your heart beat, right? Is it ok if I listen to it now?” When Colin nodded at him Derek smiled as he placed it on his chest over his shirt, listening for a few seconds before repositioning it a few times in different areas of the boy’s chest. When he was done he popped the ear pieces out and hung the scope around his neck, then offered Colin a high five for doing a good job.

“OK kiddo, your dad tells me that you’re having a hard time breathing sometimes, when you play? Can you tell me what it feels like?” Derek was on Colin’s level, making eye contact with the little boy. Colin nodded, then looked to his dad as if asking permission to talk. Stiles told him to go ahead, it was okay to talk to the doctor.

“Sometimes I has a hard time breavin’ when I play”, he said quietly. Derek nodded at him, then asked him if he got tired a lot as well. The little boy nodded again while picking at his fingers.

“OK Colin, that’s good to know. I’m so glad you told me. I’m going to ask your dad a few questions, ok?” When the boy nodded again, Derek smiled at him and ran his hand gently over the boys head in a comforting gesture, then turned his attention to dad.

“OK, so I’ve gone over the paper work that was submitted to us earlier from your other doctor. It looks like they had a theory but hadn’t done any tests, is that right?” Derek asked. Stiles nodded at him, the hand that wasn’t wrapped around Colin reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

“Yeah, we had just started investigating what was going on when his pediatrician recommended seeing a specialist. You came highly recommended as a peds cardiologist and we got in as soon as we could get an appointment.”

Derek had picked up the file again and was going through the page with the noted symptoms while Colin was playing with the rubber chicken, ignoring the adults. “Are you originally from Beacon Hills?” He asked casually. Stiles nodded back, “Yeah, born and raised. You?”

“Yeah, I was born here and lived here until I was 18, then moved to New York for college. I stayed back there until my mom passed away last year, decided to come back home. Transferred here from Johns Hopkins.”

Stiles whistled at that. “Wow, you left a hospital like that to come to a Podunk hospital like this?” Derek just smiled at him and told him he actually was enjoying the change of not only scenery, but the lower stress level.  

Derek looked at the surname of Stilinski again and then it clicked. “Sheriff Stilinski? He’s your dad? I remember him being admitted, I wasn’t on call and so he wasn’t my patient, but I remember now. So you followed in his footsteps I see,” Derek said as he nodded towards the badge. Stiles blushed and just nodded back as he kept Colin from sliding off his lap while the boy leaned forward to play with all of the items that Derek had pulled out of his bag.

“So from what I read in the paperwork sent over from your pediatrician, it looks like he discovered a heart murmur, plus you indicated symptoms such as general fatigue, getting out of breath after playing, that kind of thing, right?”

Stiles nodded at Derek in agreement, suddenly looking nervous as he placed a kiss on his son’s head. “I’m horrible when it comes to scouring the internet in order to get information, and I’m worried about his heart. Are there any tests we can run on him?” Stiles asked.

Putting the file back down Derek nodded. “Yes there is. I could hear the murmur, and with the other symptoms it sounds like a possible atrial septal defect, which in English means a hole in the heart. I saw the file also indicated that Colin was premature?”

Stiles swallowed hard at the words coming from the doctor, but kept up a brave front. “Yeah, uh, he was six weeks early. His mom, or really as far as I’m concerned, his egg donor, drank and snorted coke a few times.” Stiles blushed and looked away, not wanting to see any judgment in the doctor’s eyes at that revelation, but Derek just nodded as he took in the information.

“Well that all certainly seems to add up to an ASD, which all things considered, when it comes to heart defects, is the easiest to deal with. Our first step will be to run a few non-invasive tests. I’ll order an echocardiogram and chest x-rays so that we can get a picture of the heart and surrounding organs. If for some reason we can’t get a good look with those I’ll set him up for an MRI, but usually the echo works just fine. This will confirm whether or not we’re dealing with an ASD.”

Stiles nodded again, memorizing all of the terms being thrown at him because he knew without a doubt he was going to be Googling all of it later tonight.

“Then depending on what we see on those films we’ll move forward with treatment, which could be nothing on up to surgery. Surgery is the most common, but it depends on what we find. If you can do it, I’d like to get him in this week to get them done right away.”

Stiles grabbed Colin’s arm when he made to fling the rubber chicken across the exam room, redirecting him to a different toy.

“Yeah, definitely. I’ll make sure it happens. I’ve got a flexible schedule for this week. I can do it any day.”

Derek turned his attention back to Colin for a minute. “Hey buddy, can you help me put all this stuff back in my bag?” When Colin nodded they both began shoving everything back into the black bag, Derek playing as he went with Colin to make it fun, pretending to struggle to make the big floppy hat fit back in.

“So Colin, I’m going to take some pictures of your heart, ok?” Colin went wide eyed and began to get nervous and before Derek could continue he looked up at his dad, teary-eyed. “Do they gots to take my heart out?”

Derek silently motioned to Stiles, asking if Colin would sit on his lap. After a second of reassurance from Stiles Colin hesitantly climbed on to Derek’s lap. Derek pulled a pen from his scrubs pocket and began to draw on the paper liner on the tray.

“So first off, no I’m not going to take your heart out. We have really cool machines that can see all the way through your clothes and skin, all the way to your heart.” Derek kept drawing and Stiles realized he was making a crude drawing of an x-ray machine. “So first we’re going to take an x-ray. And what you’ll do is lay down on the table while a nice person raises a box over you that shines a light. Then you’ll hear a buzz and a click, like when you take a picture, and voila, it takes a picture of your insides. You’ll even get to see it when they’re done. You’ll be able to see your bones and everything. Then we’re going to do another test called an echo, and you’ll lay down on a bed again while the person puts some cold stuff on your chest, then he waves a special wand over your chest, and it takes another picture of your heart. None of it will hurt, I promise, and your dad will be with you the whole time. All you have to do is lay still, ok?”

Colin looked at the drawings, then at Derek, then to Stiles, as if trying to determine the truthfulness of the doctor’s words. He didn’t like any of this, it all sounded scary and he really wanted to just go home and play with his legos. “But why do you has to take a pi-ture of my heart?” Colin asked quietly, but with a little bit of a whine in his voice.

Derek began to make another drawing, this time of a heart. “Well you know how sometimes you get tired, especially when you run around? That’s because there’s a boo-boo on your heart, and if we fix it, then you won’t get tired and breathe hard when you play.” Derek had drawn a little frowny face on the heart where he suspected the hole would probably be.

Colin looked up at Derek. “So Ize be able to play without breavin’ hard?” he asked. Derek nodded at him. “Yep, that’s right. You’d be able to run around as long as you wanted.”

As the doctor continued to talk to Colin Stiles couldn’t help but be a little bit relieved, a little bit amazed and a little bit scared. The fear was a no brainer, his little boy was sick and the issue was with his heart. It was downright terrifying. But he couldn’t help but feel a lot more at ease as he watched the doctor interact with his son, on his level, as he not only included him in on the discussion and answered his questions, but also went out of his way to try and alleviate some of Colin’s fear. He was thankful for the recommendation for this particular doctor, he seemed to know what he was doing, and he, so far anyways, had a good bedside manner. The sound of his phone chirping broke him out of his reverie, and so he pulled it from his gunbelt and looked at the I.D. Dispatch was trying to contact him and he let out an irritated sigh. Dispatch knew he was taking his son to the doctors and he was supposed to be off radio.

“I’m sorry, I need to take this,” Stiles said, waving the doctor away and telling him he didn’t need to leave. At this point the doctor was drawing on the other side of the paper liner with Colin, having unearthed some crayons from his black bag. Stiles dialed the station and the put the phone to his ear, and after a second barked out, “This is Stilinski. Debra you know I’m supposed to be off radio for Colin’s appointment.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes, letting out another sigh. “Why? Why must that woman ask for me personally? Can’t you send Parish out there to deal those two?” Another pause. “I swear to god I am going to move out of state just to teach these two a lesson. Send Parish over there and let them know I’ll be over within 30 minutes.” Stiles slammed his phone down in frustration, making Colin look up quickly. Stiles could see the slight smirk on the doctor’s lips as if he found Stiles’ conversation funny.

“OK, despite being off-duty it looks like I have to go deal with the McGivilrys yet again.” Stiles griped as he replaced his phone in his gun belt. Derek set Colin down as he picked up the folder and began the process to check them out. He couldn’t help but ask though.

“I take it these are repeat customers?”

Stiles snorted at that. “Yeah, you could say that. These two, at least once a month, try to kill each other over some trivial thing, like the toilet seat being left up, or down. Then the wife insists she’ll only cooperate if I show up. It’s the most frustrating thing and I have half a mind to let them fight it out to the end.”

Derek laughed as he held the door open for them and walked them out. “Tell you what, I’ll go ahead and get you checked out and have radiology call you with an appointment, that way you can get going and take care of your call there. Will that be ok?”

Stiles nodded his thanks, saying it would be perfect. Derek squatted down in front of Colin and put his hand up for a high five. “And I’ll see you again soon okay sport? You were really good today. I bet if you ask Nurse Lizzie on the way out real nice she’ll give you a sticker, ok?” Colin returned the high five and smiled shyly as he took his dad’s hand. Stiles thanked him for taking the time to see them and apologized for having to leave so quickly. Derek waved him off, it was no issue.

“Come on tiger, let’s get you that sticker, then I’ll take you over to Grandpa’s for a little bit, ok?” Colin let out a “yay!” and skipped over to where Nurse Lizzie was already waiting to hand him a SpongeBob sticker.


	2. Chapter 2

“Mrs. McGilvery, you can _not_ keep doing this. I swear to god. You interrupted a very important doctor’s appointment for my son, I’m supposed to be off duty. So you both listen to me very, very carefully.”

Deputy Jordan Parish stood off to the side as he watched Stiles slowly lose his cool, and he wasn’t about to do anything to intercede. He didn’t blame the man in the least for being angry about being called out of the doctors to deal with these two yahoos. So it was with a bit of a smirk that he stood there while Stiles acted a barrier between the couple, hands on either side of his gun belt while he read them the riot act.

“If you pull this stunt one more time, I will personally book the two of you and throw you in jail, do you understand? You have a choice right now, go get therapy, get a divorce, or spend some time in the county lock-up. What’s it gonna be?”

Mrs. MacGilvery was standing off to the side, wringing her hands while giving the stink eye to her husband, who stood off to the other side with Parish. Both Parish and Stiles were surprised when Mr. MacGilvery stepped forward with his wrists out. “Please, please take me. Arrest me, do whatever you need to do. As long as I get to spend at least one night away from this old nag, even if it is in a jail cell.” At her husband’s words Mrs. MacGilvery went ape-shit, screaming at him and then promptly proceeded to try and beat him with a couch cushion only to smack Stiles upside the head before he could duck. Stiles sighed and rubbed his face, looking at Parish with a “this is my fucking life” look, before he grabbed the woman and pulled her away from her husband, who had just covered his head and taken the beating. With one swift, well-practiced move Stiles had her relieved of her couch cushion and both arms pinned behind her with one hand while the other pulled his cuffs out.

“Eunice MacGilvery you are under arrest for aggravated assault against a police officer with a couch cushion. You have the right to remain silent…” Stiles continued the Miranda rights as he clicked the cuffs closed around her wrists and led her out of the front door, kicking and screaming the entire way to his cruiser. Parish just shook his head as he checked out the husband, then told him if he wanted to press charges to come on down to the station, before heading out to his own cruiser.

As he headed out he saw Stiles standing next to the Beacon Hills PD SUV radioing in the arrest. “Stiles, move her to my cruiser and I’ll take her in, go on home and enjoy the rest of your day.”

Stiles gave him a look of relief as he hauled the woman back out of his cruiser and pushed her into Parish’s, then thanked him profusely. Parish gave him a two-fingered salute before climbing in and pulling out of the driveway and back into town to drop his charge off. Stiles climbed in to his own and turned the engine on and pulled away from the curb and headed the opposite direction to his dad’s house.

* * *

 

Stiles walked up the little stone steps to the front door and could hear squealing coming from the front room. He pulled out the key to his dad’s house and let himself in before spying in on the antics going on in the den. His son and dad were playing some kind of game on the floor that had Colin rolling around and laughing. Stiles smiled as he watched them play, marveling at the sight. Had someone told him a few years ago that he’d have a son and be a single dad he’d have scoffed. Not that he ever pictured himself settled down with a spouse and 2.4 kids, but still. He loved his son more than the world, even despite the not so glorious method of his conception. But a part of him still yearned for a partner, someone who he could come home to every night, someone who would love not only himself but his son. He’d long ago pushed that wish to the back of his heart, it wasn’t likely to happen for him as his string of failed relationships had proven. First it was his energy level that was a turn-off, despite his ADHD meds, then the fact he wanted to follow his father’s footsteps. Yeah dating a sheriff’s deputy might be novel at first, what with the uniform and gun. But that novelty wore off quickly when the threats he faced as part of a job became reality. Then throw in a young child and that seemed to be the clincher.

When they both caught sight of Stiles standing there, leaning against the door jamb leading into the den, Colin jumped up and ran over to hug his dad. Meanwhile his dad worked himself back up off the floor, stretching his back.

“So I hear the MacGilvery’s are at it again, huh son?”

Stiles walked into the den, removing his gun belt in the process and putting it up high on a shelf Colin couldn’t reach.

“Yeah, I ended up bringing her in. Maybe it’ll knock some sense in to her. Or maybe it’ll give him enough time to pack a bag and high-tail it out of town.”

The sheriff just chuckled. Eunice and Hank MacGilvery had been fighting since they had their first kiss at the tender age of 14 at the Christmas cotillion. Fifty years later and they were still at it. They were a fixture in their tiny community and most times the fights were mostly verbal. John had practically grown up around them, and Stiles definitely had. John couldn’t help but smile at the fact that Stiles was now taking his place in running interference, almost like the handing down of a tradition.

“So how did the appointment go, did you get very far before you had to leave?” He asked his son, who was slumped into the couch, looking tired as he watched Colin push toy police cars around the carpet, making little engine and siren noises.

“Somewhat. We met the cardiologist, a Dr. Hale. Nice enough guy. He says just based on symptoms and what he could hear he thinks it’s something called an atrial septal defect, which I guess is like a hole somewhere in the heart. They want him to come in this week for x-rays and an echocardiogram so they can see the heart. Then we’ll go from there. He was really great with Colin.”

John watched his son a little bit, taking in the tired looking eyes and poor posture. There was no doubt his son was stressed about this, and he still seemed to hang on to some guilt about the nature of Colin’s being conceived.

“Well I heard he’s a really good surgeon, so it sounds like Colin will be in good hands. And since I know you, I know as soon as you get home you’ll be researching the hell out of all of this,” John said with a smile.

Stiles grinned back at him. “You know me well pop, you know me well.” As they continued to visit Stiles got a text message from the hospital with a date and time for the tests, asking him to type ‘yes’ to confirm. He did so, adding the notes to his phone calendar. Both tests were scheduled for two days from now at 3pm. Stiles relayed the information to his dad, who promised that he’d be there with them in support and would make sure dispatch did not try to call him in.

 

* * *

 

Two days later Stiles was back at Beacon Hills Memorial with his son and the sheriff. They had just completed the x-ray and the tech was showing Colin the pictures he took, pointing out all of the bones, Colin wide-eyed as he got to ‘see his insides.’ A few minutes later and he was being prepped for the echo, giggling at the cold jelly being smeared on his chest.

“It feels like boogers daddy,” he said as the tech rubbed it on. John mocked sighed while Stiles grinned. “He is so your son,” the sheriff chuckled.

The next week the hospital called again, letting Stiles know that the results were in and that Dr. Hale wanted to have them come in to go over the tests. Stiles wasn’t about to wait and was relieved that he could get in the next day. He debated on going by himself or bringing Colin, but he worried that if the results were bad Colin would get scared. He ended up dropping Colin off at the station with his father, who was on duty but had a day of paperwork planned. Even if he didn’t he knew just about any deputy or one of the admins would watch his son for him. It worked out perfectly in that he could run in, get the results, then get back to Colin quickly. He was supposed to start work at 5pm, so his nanny wouldn’t be around until 4pm. So he could run in, do the appointment, get back to the station and grab Colin, then get him home to the nanny before heading back to the station. The joys of being a single dad, trying to balance everything.

He got to the hospital on time and waited in the waiting room for the doctor while checking emails on his phone. He would smile at some of the kids that were in there as well who looking at him, in uniform, and trying to decide if he was scary or not. He was watching one particular kid out of the corner of his eye who was playing with one of the floor toys and looking at Stiles. The kid suddenly got up and walked over to Stiles, put his chubby fists on his hips and promptly demanded, “Are you here to under arrest someone?”

Stiles couldn’t help but quirk an eyebrow at the kid’s temerity, while behind him there was a strained groan from mom as she hurried over.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I swear my son has no boundaries, no matter how hard I try to teach him.”

Stiles laughed, because it seemed like something he probably did countless times, much to his parent’s dismay.

“It’s quite alright, I was very much the same at his age.” He looked at the boy, probably no more than six or seven. “No I’m not here to arrest anybody big guy. I’m here to see the doctor.”

The kid looked a cross between relieved and disappointed at not seeing anyone getting arrested today before he blurted out, “you got a bad heart too?”

“Jacob William Lopez get over here and stop asking rude questions!”

Stiles was saved at having to respond when the door opened and Dr. Hale himself, rather than the nurse, nodded to him. “Deputy, glad you could make it on such short notice. Why don’t you come back to my office.”

Stiles stood up, pocketing his phone as he followed the doctor into the maze of hallways, turning this way and that, thinking he was in trouble if his life depended on being able to get himself back out to the waiting room quickly. Dr. Hale opened his door and motioned Stiles in, before closing it and going around to the other side of the large desk. There were papers everywhere, but the first thing Stiles noticed were all of the hand-drawn pictures in crayon and markers, presumably from patients, tacked up all over the walls. Where most doctors had framed degrees and awards from various prestigious medical institutions hanging, Dr. Hale had thank you notes from patients and their parents, pictures of them, Christmas cards left over the previous holiday, even birth announcements. Stiles felt his respect for the man go up another notch.

As he turned from the wall to take a seat, he noticed the other man’s ears were tinged pink. Aha, no ego or gratuitous pride on this one, he thought. He was taken in again by the bright green eyes and how beautiful they were. The man was downright gorgeous, if Stiles was being honest. He also found himself looking for a ring, but even not finding one Stiles figured someone that good looking was probably not only straight as hell but taken.

Derek pulled out Colin’s file, then pulled up the results of the scans on his computer before swinging the monitor around so Stiles could see, effectively cutting Stiles’, hopefully subtle, staring.

“OK, so these are the x-rays here. Not much to see other than the heart is a good size and shape,  a little on the smaller side, which is to be expected from lack of hard exercise, but no obvious abnormalities with its structure. Surrounding organs look good as well.” He clicked around and pulled up a different set of scans. “These are the echo scans, and if you look right here,” Derek pointed to a darkish spot on the scan, “that right there is a small hole in the muscles of the atrium. Now of all of the possible scenarios I’m happy to tell you Colin has the most perfect placement and size for a hole. We’ll be able to close it up very easily, and the best part is that we can do a catheterization. So rather than open heart surgery, we make a small incision in his thigh and into the artery, then run a small catheter all the way up to his heart and make the repairs. He’ll walk away with a small scar on his thigh, instead of a massive one on his chest. So, despite your reason for being here, this is really good news for Colin.”

Stiles sat there in shock, looking at the picture of his son’s tiny heart. No open-heart surgery, no cracking his sternum open, no ugly scar running down his front for him to be embarrassed by as he got older, and best of all, it was an easy fix. For the first time since he’d first learned about the possible issue with Colin’s heart, Stiles felt some of the weight lift off of his chest. His son was going to be okay.

“So, uh, when do we do that? The catheter thing?” he asked. Derek pulled out a stack of paperwork and handed it to Stiles. “Well first I want you to read through these, they explain the procedure, the prep for it, then what will happen afterward. There’s also forms you will need to sign, etc. All the legal and insurance crap. We’ll need to run bloodwork on him, get him typed, that sort of thing. We’ll get him on the surgery schedule as soon as you want. It’s not life threatening, so we can be flexible. Is he in school yet?”

Stiles shook his head, “not really. I mean, he’s in preschool, but you know how that is, it won’t exactly kill him to miss time.”

Derek nodded his head. “OK, good. I would suggest you get it done before the summer starts, that way he’s ready to go for kindergarten, assuming he’s starting it this fall. He’ll need a week or two to recover, then scheduled exams to make sure everything is healing the way it should be. He’ll need to take it easy until we know the stitches are healing and won’t rip open from any undue exertion, such as from heavy play. But by the time school starts back up, he’ll be ready and able to run as hard and long as he wants to.”

Stiles let out a huge sigh and felt himself slouch a little. “Jesus Christ, I, this is such a fucking relief.” Derek smiled, reaching out and clapping him on the shoulder. “I can imagine. While I don’t have my own kids, I’ve always felt close to my patients, especially my younger ones. I can’t even guess what it must feel like for a parent to go through this with their child. But something tells me your little guy is a fighter, the son and grandson of the sheriff and his deputy, it looks like being strong is in his genes.”

“When you leave, have Gina, my nurse, work on scheduling Colin for the labwork and surgery. I’d like to see him again leading up to it to talk him through what’s going to happen, sometimes it makes it not so scary. Sound like a plan?”

Stiles nodded, standing up. Running a hand through his hair and letting another breath out as Derek walked around to open the door, he felt on the verge of either crying or laughing hysterically like a madman. Stiles held his hand out to shake the doctor’s.

“Thank you, so much. Just, god, thank you.”

Derek shook his hand and smiled, then led him out to his nurse. A few minutes later and a surgery date was confirmed, labwork was scheduled, and Stiles was being led back out through the maze of hallways to the waiting room.

* * *

 

That night, the Stilinski men celebrated their good news with pizza and sodas with some of the other deputies at Sardini’s Pizzeria. Beacon Hills PD was a giant family, and Stiles’ good news was their good news.

Afterward some of the deputies wanted to unwind at a local bar and managed to convince Stiles to come with them. After the sheriff agreed to take Colin home with a pat on the back and a ‘stay out as late as you want,’ Stiles joined the others. They got changed into their civilian clothes but drove their cruisers down to Jakes, a pub that had good food and even better beer. Plus it had pool tables and most of the deputies loved to play against each other.

They all piled in, saying hi to Jake and his wife Annie. Jake usually tended the bar while Annie did the waitressing. They were an interesting pair. Jake was a bear of a man, a good six feet tall and a solid two hundred pounds with various tattoos on his arms. Annie on the other hand was lucky if she hit the five foot two mark and was probably a hundred pounds soaking wet, yet everyone knew it was Annie you had to watch out for and not piss off. Despite her lack of height Stiles had seen her take men twice her size and shit-faced and drag them out of the bar by their ear if they got too rowdy.

“Oh why look at all these gorgeous men coming in to my bar!” Annie cried out, a huge grin on her face. Despite being happily married and knowing at least two of the deputies were not straight, Annie loved to flirt with the group of officers.

Annie came over and pinched cheeks, of the face and backside kind, while saying hello to everyone. She gave Stiles a wink and a kiss on the cheek as she pulled her pad out after everyone had sat down at a table.

“Is it just me, or do we all look incredibly happy tonight? Usually you lot come in looking tired and haggard,” Annie said.

One of the deputies, Mitchell, piped up, “Stiles got good news from his kid’s cardiologist, so we’re celebrating!” Everyone banged on the table in celebration, and Stiles couldn’t help the blush that crept up his face. Annie looked down at him and suddenly gave him a hug. “Is he gonna be ok?” She whispered, eyes watery. Annie had fallen in love with Colin the first time she’d seen him.

Stiles nodded at her. “Yeah, a simple surgery will fix it and he’ll be perfectly normal.” At the news Annie hugged him again, hard, wiping her eyes. She stood up and yelled over to Jake.

“First round is on the house! To Colin!” She yelled.

Everyone in the bar yelled it back, clapping loudly as Stiles turned even redder. There were benefits to small town living, he thought. Sometimes people could be nosey as hell, but when one of their own needed support, they sure as hell got it.

* * *

 

Derek had finally gotten off call after eating leftovers in the hospital breakroom for dinner. He and another doctor were planning on going out for a drink after they were off. They were both headed there right now, walking together. It was a short walk to the bar from the hospital, so they left their cars behind. It was a nice balmy evening, spring was working its way down towards summer and it was perfect out for walking. The two walked amiably the few blocks from the hospital over to Garden Street, where the bar was.

They could hear a commotion going on inside the bar as they walked up to the front doors. Derek opened it, letting his friend in first. As they headed towards the bar they saw a large group of men at a table cheering about something and thumping on the table, with other patrons joining in. Either they were already well past being drunk or they were celebrating something. Derek didn’t pay much mind to them as he and Scott, one of the guys he worked with, headed to the bar to order.

“Hey Doc, how’s it going?” Jake asked Derek, nodding to Scott. Derek said it was going well, and they were both looking forward to having the next day off. Derek ordered the first round of beers and some cheddar fries to go with them, then headed over to a table Scott had found, and made himself comfortable.

Scott greedily took a mug from Derek and gulped the beer. “Ahh, god that tastes good. I swear to god if I have to look at anymore people’s dangly bits today I’ll scream.” Derek laughed, clinking his glass against Scott’s. It was true that it seemed like things happened in clusters. There never seemed to be a nice sampling of injured or sick people. In Derek’s case, it would be all grouchy old people in one day, or a steady stream of screaming kids. Scott, who was in orthopedics, tended to get the same body parts over and over in a day. Apparently today included dangly bits.

“How do you even get dangly bits in ortho, are people really hurting themselves there?”

Scott groaned. “I seriously have no idea dude, but I swear to god I had these guys all lifting their gowns at me. No women of course, just men. You probably would’ve been in hog heaven.”

Derek laughed again. “Not likely. Although I’d trade you a dangly bit or two for some of these old guys snapping their dentures at me. Mr. Thompson tried to bite me again today. Damn near took my finger off when I tried to listen to his heart.”

They spent the next hour talking shop, then pointedly not talking shop. Derek got up to get another round. He strode up and nodded to Jake, indicating one more round, and no more, before looking over to the man next to him. He’d been standing at the bar for a few minutes, texting his phone, and Derek couldn’t help but notice how broad the man’s shoulders were, narrowing down to slim hips and strong looking legs clad in jeans and heavy boots. When the man turned slightly as he pocketed his phone Derek realized it was the father of his newest patient.

“Deputy Stilinski?” he asked. Stiles looked up, startled. He didn’t even realize someone was standing next to him. He recognized Doctor Hale and smiled at him.

“Hey Doctor Hale, fancy meeting you here.” They shook hands, and Derek told him, “please, I’m off call, it’s Derek.”

Stiles smiled back at him. “Likewise, call me Stiles. What brings you here?”

Derek mentioned he and Scott were just unwinding after a long day, and Stiles couldn’t help but take in again just how good looking Derek was. It made Stiles sigh internally with want. When Derek asked about him, Stiles indicated the group of deputies and laughed, telling him they were here celebrating the good news Derek had delivered earlier that day.

Mitchell came stumbling up behind Stiles, slapping him on the back. He was well past being drunk and he leaned over into Stiles’ face.

“Dude, you have to come play another round. Jackson is kicking all our butts man, and wait who’s this your boyfriend?” Mitchell was slurring every other word and Stiles just smirked at him.

“No asshole, this isn’t my boyfriend, this is Doctor Derek Hale, Colin’s doctor.” Derek just smiled at the other deputy, giving him a nod. Mitchell for his part just stared at him before turning around and yelling at the top of his lungs to the bar, “HEY EVERYONE THIS IS COLIN’S DOCTOR!” That was then followed by loud cheering and more thumping of various tables.

Stiles just shook his head at everyone’s antics. “It’s rare we get something good to celebrate, so when they heard the good news about Colin, they took the ball and ran with it.”

Derek chuckled, grabbing the beer Jake had left him. “That’s great though. I kind of miss that small town vibe. Although I’ll remember how much I hated everyone knowing my business.” Stiles snorted at that, lifting his beer in salute. “No doubt about that.”

They ended up talking about various things, growing up in Beacon Hills, leaving it, Derek going to med school back east and Stiles joining the force. Derek had completely forgotten about Scott until Scott came up to the bar looking all puppy eyed and gooey.

“Aw man Der, she’s here. She came. Man she’s soooo pretty.” Stiles looked at the other man who then promptly melted into the bar stool next to Derek, his head resting on his hand, elbow on the bar, and Stiles could’ve sworn there were hearts in his eyes.

“Man you are so pathetic. Just go up to her and ask her out already.” Stiles turned around to see who Scott was looking at and saw two women sitting at a table together chatting quietly. One was a red head that Stiles knew well, Lydia Martin. The other, a brunette, he didn’t recognize.

“God she’s got the cutest little dimples. I just want to kiss them.”

Both Derek and Stiles looked at Scott, then laughed. Derek pushed him off the stool and told him to go over and introduce himself to her. When Scott left Derek groaned. “God he’s pitiful sometimes.”

Stiles laughed. “Which one is he going for? I hope it isn’t the red-head, Lydia will eat him alive.” Derek shook his head, “nope, the other one. She works in radiology. Scott’s had a crush on her forever.

Stiles took another look at her. He saw her smile, saw the dimples. “Well she definitely has dimples, wow. Can see them from here. She’s cute.”

Derek just shrugged, looking down at his glass. “Yeah, ‘spose so, if you’re into that kind of thing.”

“What, you not into dimples?”

Derek laughed. “Not into girls man.”

Stiles couldn’t help the uptick of his heart at that little tidbit. Hmm, the good doctor batted for the other team, good to know.

He lifted his glass and clinked Derek’s. “Here’s to guys. With no dimples but plenty of scruff.” Stiles winked as he drank, thinking he couldn’t be any more obvious with that. Derek raised an eyebrow but smiled and drank.

“So, did you adopt Colin then? Not that it’s any of my business, Christ, just totally ignore that.” Derek was blushing furiously. Dude, he was this man’s kid’s doctor for Christ’s sake.

Stiles snorted. “Naw I don’t care. Nope, no adoption. I had him the old fashioned way. From about 16 I began to realize I was gay. I didn’t come out to my dad, I was worried about what he might think, especially being sheriff and what not, not that I had to worry about it, he was totally cool. But when I got into college I was still kind of half in and half out of the closet. My guy friends were always bringing girls home. There was always people screwing somewhere. Then I came home, joined the force, came out to my dad. Like I said, he didn’t care, but told me to maybe keep it under wraps until I graduated from the academy, just to avoid any issues from the other recruits. So I did. Then one night we were all out at a bar, drunk as shit. Bunch of ladies were there and they latched on. Next thing you know most of us are in a dark corner getting blown or screwing. This one girl kept flirting with me, and the other guys were wondering why I wasn’t taking her off somewhere. She was cute, I’ll give her that.

So I figured, what the hell, everyone was going on about screwing women, let’s see what all the hype is about. We found ourselves a dark corner and I fucked my first and only woman. Never saw her again until three months later. She tracked me down wanting money. Told me she was pregnant and that it was mine. I didn’t believe her so I made her get a paternity test. It not only proved it was mine, it also proved she was on coke and heroin. She wanted money to terminate the pregnancy. I flat out refused. I paid to get her into a rehab center where they’d take care of her while she was pregnant. After she gave birth I paid her again to terminate her parental rights, which she was only happy to do, and I became a father.”

Derek whistled at the story. “Man, that’s something else. I give you props for taking the baby in. I know a lot of people wouldn’t have cared.”

Stiles swirled the dreg of beer in the bottom of his glass. “Yeah, Colin’s the best thing that ever happened to me. While I take zero pride in screwing someone in the corner of a bar while drunk, I love that boy more than anything.”

* * *

 

The two men had finally made their way to a table, continuing to chat. Scott had passed out at another table, and neither Stiles nor Derek had noticed the rest of the people in the bar were gone, or that Annie was quietly bringing them chips and pretzels to munch on to keep them somewhat sober. And if deep down there was an ulterior motive for her wanting the two to keep talking, smiling at how easily they seemed to get along, well, she’d happily admit it. She hadn’t seen Stiles look that content in a while.

Derek had talked about going to med school, choosing cardiology as his focus because he’d been enamored with how the heart worked. In New York had he had been a pediatric specialist, which was both fulfilling and stressful at the same time.

Derek took a sip of his water, having moved off the beer at some point. He didn’t even remember asking for water, but there it was.

“So when I moved back home, I found out that BHM didn’t have a cardiologist period, let alone one with a specialty. So while I’m still technically a peds cardio, I take anyone of any age. I’ve also been known to moonlight as a trauma surgeon when needed since it’s such a small hospital. I love working with kids, but it can be really hard. It’s hard to lose a patient of any age, but when I get a kid that I ultimately can’t heal, it takes a little part of me with them.”

Stiles munched a pretzel, noting the sad look in Derek’s eyes. “I can imagine. Not sure how you do it. But I have to say you had a way with Colin, he was so fucking scared to go in there, but you were able to calm him down. The first doctor was, according to Colin, “a scary old man”.

Derek chuckled at that, nodding his head. “Yeah, most of them are. I always go out of my way to make the kids laugh. I like to feel like I’m channeling my inner Patch Adams.”

Stiles smiled at that, marveling at the man across from him. He was gorgeous, there was no denying that. Those eyes that he could look into all night were just the beginning. Stiles was a sucker for tall, dark and handsome, and Derek had it in spades. Add in a personality he could only dream about and Stiles had a feeling he was going to fall hard. And the fact he just told him his history with Colin’s egg donor, which he never talks about to anyone, it felt so easy to tell him. The lack of judgement in Derek’s eyes help too. He wondered if he should ask Derek out. Or maybe that was too soon, or maybe Derek wasn’t interested, or the whole doctor-patient thing…

“Man, I can hear you thinking from here. What’s on your mind?” Derek asked, a glint in his eye.

Stiles felt his face warm up and he couldn’t help but look down at his glass as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Uh, um. Ah nothing. Just really enjoying this. Haven’t, uh, haven’t had a nice night out like this. Not that it was a date or anything but you know, just hanging out, with another guy. A hot guy. And I’m gonna eat one of my own bullets here if I can’t get my mouth to stop and yeah, I just totally word vomited didn’t I?”

Stiles let his head flop down to the table in mortification. He couldn’t believe it, he was acting like a sixteen year old who was still wet behind the ears, not a 34 year old Sheriff’s deputy. When there was no response from Derek he was prepared to get up and leave, but when he lifted his head up he saw Derek sitting there, smiling at Stiles while he twirled the water around in his glass.

“I’m really sorry, I should probably go…”

“You wanna go out sometime?” Derek asked. “Like a date?”

Stiles gaped, he couldn’t help it. “Shit, you’re asking me out after I just acted like a sorry teenager trying to work up the nerve to ask the prom queen out?”

Derek grinned, showing off his teeth.

“Oh my god, you have bunny teeth,” Stiles sighed out, then promptly face palmed. “Someone shoot me now. I was doing so well here.”

Derek just continued to grin at him. “Stiles, you are fucking adorable. And yes, I’m asking you out. How ‘bout it?”

Stiles just grinned back. “Hell yeah man.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Listen up boys and girls. We’ve got information coming in about a possible threat heading our way.”

The Sheriff passed out memo sheets to the deputies inside the small conference room that acted as their briefing room. Men and women were sitting or leaning against chairs and tables, reading the flyer as they got it.

Stiles sat slouched in one of the chairs, slowly twirling it side to side as he read over the paper his dad handed him.

“From what I’ve been told, it looks like there’s an organized drug gang making its way through the state from Canada. Sources say they’re making their way south. Whether it’s to Mexico or not is anyone’s guess, and to be honest no one’s sure why they’re taking so much time heading down.

Guesses are that they are doing business as they work their way down. All we do know is that they’re well-armed and incredibly dangerous. They blend in well to surrounding communities and most don’t realize they’ve been there until there’s suddenly an influx of dead bodies.

So, I need you all to be alert, keep your eyes open and your heads on a swivel. If you spot anything suspicious you radio in. You do not engage by yourself.”

Stiles took in the information with mild interest. He was still buzzing from the other night at the bar and Derek, and he felt guilty at the fact he was almost looking forward to Colin’s next appointment so that he could see Derek again. Trying to clear his head of those thoughts, he made himself focus on the information coming from his dad.

“Do we have any I.D.s or mug shots on any of the perps sir?” Parish asked.

The sheriff shook his head. “I’m afraid not. We only have a name, Duke, which we think is just a street name, and the fact that he has an accent, possibly British. We’ve also heard chatter about someone or something called The Alpha. Other than, I’m afraid we’re flying blind.”

There was some murmuring before the Sheriff got everyone’s attention again and continued the briefing, then telling them all to get to work. The deputies began to file out of the room to their respective desks, some heading out to their patrol cars.

As they all made their way out Jackson made sure to say loudly enough for the entire station to hear, “Hey Stilinksi, I heard you got your ass handed to you by a couch cushion!” He followed it up with his typical douche-baggery smirking. The rest of crew laughed good-naturedly. The McGilvery’s were such a fixture in Beacon Hills that at some point everyone on the force had been subjected to them.

“Har Har Dickmore.” Stiles fake laughed, enjoying the angry look on Jackson’s face at the misnomer, followed up by sniggers and back clapping on Jackson by a couple of the others.

As Stiles made his way out his dad clapped him on the shoulder. “When’s Colin’s next appointment? Want me to be there?” He asked his son.

“Yeah, actually that’d be great. I know Colin would appreciate it. Um, he’s got one on Thursday at 10, it’s a pre-op type. They’re gonna take blood and Der-Doctor Hale will go over the procedure and all that.”

John ruffled his son’s hair, because he was the sheriff and his dad and he knew full well it embarrassed his son.

“Jesus Dad,” Stiles grumped, blushing.

“I’ll be there. Maybe we can get lunch afterward before dropping Colin back off at school.”

Stiles nodded, telling his dad it sounded good, before worming his way out into the main area of the station. He was on patrol today with Parish, and it promised to be utterly boring. He made his way to his desk pulling out his keys and everything he needed on patrol. He yelled over to Parish who was chatting up Tara, one of the other deputies, telling him to get a move on, before heading out the side door to the police lot.

“You done flirting big guy, cuz I’m sure there’s loads of absolutely nothing waiting for us out on patrol,” Stiles cheerfully snarked to his partner. Jordan laughed, a shy blush creeping up his neck.

Stiles unlocked their Ford Explorer and climbed in, waiting for Jordan to get in. He punched in to the laptop mounted off the center console, logging themselves in to dispatch before eyeballing the interior and making sure everything was where it should be.

“So, you and Tara, eh Romeo?” Stiles couldn’t help but tease. Jordan pushed Stiles in the shoulder, but grinned.

“Yeah, well I don’t know. Hopefully?” He asked. Jordan was grinning and blushing at the same time. Stiles loved to tease him, since it was so easy. He was incredibly shy, but also a total beast when on duty. He never hesitated to throw down with the baddies.

“You gonna ask her out?” Stiles asked.

Jordan just shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I think she likes me, but I’m not sure. Plus what happens if I ask her out and she says no, and then it’s all weird because we work together?”

Stiles just gifted his partner with a side smirk. “Dude, she looks at you like you hang the stars man. Ask her out. Don’t even make it a date. Offer to pick up dinner or something, go get a cup of coffee.”

“Yeah, maybe I will.” Jordan then narrowed his eyes and pinned Stiles with a look. “And what about you? I saw you talking to that doctor all night.”

Stiles let out a breath as he turned the engine on the SUV and began to pull out of the police lot. “Man, talk about a weird situation. He’s hot as hell, great personality, and _my kid’s doctor_.”

“Stiles, I’ve never known you to not go after something you want, no matter how out of reach it might seem. It looked like he was enjoying himself, and I take it you used your Stilinski charm to find out which side of the spoon he licks right?”

Stiles laughed out loud at that, nodding. “Yeah, of course. Honestly I can’t believe someone that good looking isn’t straight. But I can’t help but wonder if he’s interested enough to deal with me having a kid.”

Jordan acknowledged that concern. Having a kid always made it a bit harder, but hopefully the fact the man worked with kids meant he was more open to dating someone with a child.

“Well, take it one step at a time and see what happens. You deserve to find someone. Are you going to ask him out?”

Stiles ducked his head, replaying the night at the bar. “Actually, he already asked me out. Even after I made an ass of myself by word vomiting.”

Jordan just looked at him like he was stupid. “Well shit man, then you already know he likes you enough to want a real date! So what are you worried about?” He squished himself back into his seat as he watched the cars go by outside. “Just be yourself Stiles.”

The two deputies spent the rest of the day bored out of their skulls and getting excited when they caught a speeder, that being the highlight of their day. The rest of it was spent on patrol and finding as many out-of-state license plates as they could. They had almost checked off every state but five, and always used the game as a way to alleviate their boredom.

Unfortunately, that boredom wouldn’t last much longer.

 

* * *

 

The man coughed hard, spitting out the mouthful of blood around the groan that escaped him. His tormentor had moved behind him, out of his line of sight. Unfortunately the person who now occupied his line of sight was a good deal more chilling.

“Mr. Anderson, you disappoint me. I believed I had made myself quite clear in what the consequences would be for your failing to complete your tasks.”

The man - Anderson, couldn’t help the shudder that wracked through him. Even though he was tied securely to the chair in which he sat, he still tried to pull away as the figure came closer. This man was a pro at the dramatics, he thought. He had moved close enough for the light to fall onto his hands where they sat crossed over what looked like a cane, yet his face remained in shadow.

“I-I’m sorry Sir, it was unavoidable, I-I tried, really! There was just no way!”

A quiet ‘tsking’ sound came in reply to his outburst and he watched, almost mesmerized, as the hands uncrossed. One remained on the top of the cane, long fingers caressing the brass wolf head on the handle, the light catching the red gems set into the wolf’s eyes. The cane was slowly raised, the other hand gliding smoothly down the polished teak shaft to rest on the opposite end so that it was now being held like a weapon.

“My dear Mr. Anderson, there is always a way. You just didn’t look hard enough.”

Before the man in the chair could respond, the cane was swiftly pulled back and swung, back-handing Anderson across the face, the brass wolf head striking and breaking his nose. He cried out in pain, choking on the heavy flow of blood pouring from his nose and down the back of his throat. Before he could topple over from the force of the blow a strong hand gripped him by the back of his neck, keeping him in place.

A pristine white handkerchief was pulled from the breast pocket of the man in front of him and lovingly used to clean off the head of the cane, removing the traces of blood, before being handed over to the man in the back to dispose of.

Addressing the man in the back, gripping Anderson, he calmly told him, “Please see to finishing up with Mr. Anderson. We are no longer in need of his services.”

“Yes, Sir,” came the reply, and with a graceful turn of his body, cane clacking on the concrete floor, the man strode off, back into the darkness.

Anderson watched him disappear into the dark like some kind of wraith before being confronted yet again by the massive man who had been working him over. He squatted down so that he was eye level with Anderson.

“He never told me I had to make this quick,” he sneered. Anderson was met suddenly with a pair of red eyes and fangs, and before he could let loose with a scream he saw a set of claws swipe towards him.

* * *

 

“Daddy?”

“Yeah kiddo, what’s up?”

Stiles and the Sheriff were walking down the hallway of the hospital, each one holding a hand of the boy’s, towards the offices for Colin’s pre-op visit when Colin suddenly dug his heels in.

“I’m scared Daddy.”

Stiles immediately squatted down in front of his son while his dad moved in next to him to place a calming hand on his head, rubbing his hair.

“I know big guy, it’s ok to be scared. Today is just a practice visit, ok? Doctor Hale is going to tell us what’s going to happen so that you won’t be scared. Plus me and Grandpa are here, and we aren’t going anywhere without you.”

Stiles took in the wobbly lip and the watery eyes and mentally smacked himself around, chanting, “you’ve got this Stiles, show no fear or else he’ll see it.” Stiles knew if he freaked out, Colin would freak out twice as bad. He ran a thumb under Colin’s eyes, catching the tears before giving him a smile.

“You’re going to be ok, champ, I promise. Let’s go in and see what Doctor Hale tells us today. And if you’re still scared you tell him, so that he can help you, ok? Then afterward how about we go get a big cheeseburger and some curly fries for lunch?”

Colin sniffed, and nodded at his dad before looking up at his grandpa. “I’ll only go inside if Grandpa gets to have bacon on his cheeseburger.”

Stiles’ eyes widened before zeroing in on his dad who had let out a bark of laughter at his grandson’s ultimatum. The Sheriff raised his hands, as if in surrender, still chuckling.

“Son, I had nothing to do with that, I swear.”

Stiles just snorted before standing up, giving his dad a pointed look before agreeing with his four year old negotiator. As they continued down the hallway Stiles saw his dad lean in and place a kiss on Colin’s head and whisper, “That’s my boy”, followed by a grin from Colin.

* * *

 

“OK Colin, so here’s what happens next, and we’re going to practice this part because it’s very important, ok?”

Colin nodded, still looking scared, but not as bad as before. He was sitting on the exam table while Derek sat in front of him on his wheeled chair.

“OK, so first off, there’s going to be lot of nurses helping me, and they’re going to get you ready. You won’t see me yet because I have to be in another room getting cleaned up and putting special clothes on.”

“You has to take a baf?” Colin asked.

Derek nodded, looking serious. “Yes sir. I have to wash my hands lots of times. Just like my mommy and daddy taught me, except I have to use yucky soap that smells bad.” Derek pinched his nose and made an exaggerated face at Colin, making the boy smile.

“So, the nurses are going to get you all ready and one of the things they have to do it put some medicine in you. This is what we’re going to practice today, ok?”

Derek took Colin’s arm and extended it, palm up, and traced a finger up and down the inside of his forearm. “See these blue lines?” Colin leaned over and looked, then nodded.

“Those are your veins. I need these in order to fix the boo-boo on your heart. So it’s really important that you make sure to bring these with you on the big day, ok? If you forget to bring your veins I can’t fix you. So make sure you bring them.”

Colin had a look on his face like Derek had just told him he was responsible for bringing Excalibur to King Arthur. “I won’t forget to bring them, promise,” he said seriously.

“Good. So the next thing is that we are going to put the medicine inside your veins, and it’s going to travel all the way up your body,” Derek walked his fingers up Colin’s arm, over his shoulder and up to under his neck, tickling him and making him laugh, “and when it makes to your ears, you’ll magically go to sleep and take a nice nap.”

“So how does the medicine get in my blue lines?” Colin asked.

‘Moment of truth’, Derek thought.

“Well we’re going to use a little needle with the medicine inside.” At the mention of the needle Colin sat up and went grim.

“I don’t like shots, they hurts.”

“I know tiger, and that’s why we’re going to practice today. I’m going to show you what to do so that it’s not scary.” Derek leaned over behind him and grabbed the latex tourniquet used for drawing blood.

“Are you ready to practice? After this you’ll be a hero and will no longer be afraid, ok?”

Colin eyed him, in the way that four year olds do as they weigh the important decision as to whether or not to trust you, before he nodded at Derek.

“OK, so first we put this on. This makes your veins easier to see. And that’s why you have to remember to bring your veins with you, otherwise this thing doesn’t work!” He waggled the tourniquet in front of Colin, trying to get a grin. Colin just narrowed his eyes. Derek began to wrap it around Colin’s arm, but kept it loose.

“Ok so this part will feel tight, so I’m going to tie it the way the nurse will, ok?”

Derek tightened it and immediately Colin began to stiffen up at the feeling of the latex gripping his skin.

“OK Colin, that’s it, it’s already on. Now I want you to take a big breath and let it out slowly.” Derek showed him how and then did it with the boy. He could see him relax a little.

“Awesome job kid! You’re doing so well, you’re going to rock this! OK so now the next part is the medicine. I’m going to pinch your skin a little so you can know what it feels like, and we’re going to count to five. When we get to five the medicine is in and it’s all over, ok? Ready?”

Colin nodded again, albeit looking worried. Derek pinched the skin on his arm where the needle would be inserted and Colin whimpered. Derek quickly caught his eye. “OK, let’s count! One…Two…Three…Four…Five! All done!” Derek let go of the skin while also quickly removing the tourniquet. “Colin you did it, I’m so proud of you!”

Derek gave Colin a high five and between that and the praise a smile crept up on the little boy’s face. He grinned at his dad and grandfather and said, “I did it!” and was rewarded with hugs from both of them.

Derek spent a few more minutes going over the last few details for the surgery, which was scheduled for the next morning before looking at Colin again.

“OK Colin, so you practiced here with me and did a fantastic job. So now I need you to do one more practice. You’re going to go with Nurse Lizzie and practice one more time, for real this time. And then you’re going to come in tomorrow morning and we’re going to fix that boo-boo once and for all, ok?”

Derek looked up at Stiles as he threw the tourniquet into the trash and collected the paperwork.

“You good dad? Hanging in there?”

Stiles looked up and caught a wink from Derek, before smiling at him. “Yeah, I’m good. I may be more s-c-a-r-e-d than him to be honest.” When Colin heard his dad spelling he eyed him, knowing that his dad was saying a word that Colin wasn’t allowed to hear.

Derek offered a warm smile and a hand on the shoulder, not noticing the eyebrow quirk coming from the Sheriff.

“It’ll be ok Stiles. You can be there with him all the way up to the O.R. doors if you’d like. He’ll be in good hands.”

Stiles clapped his own hand over Derek’s for a second, before Derek realized he’d left it on Stiles’ shoulder a bit too long and removed it.

“I know he will. It’s times like these when it sucks to be a parent.”

They all made their way out of the exam room where the nurse was waiting to take Colin down to the lab to have his blood drawn. She had a Superman sticker already waiting for him and the promise of a lollipop if he did well in the lab.

Thirty minutes later Derek came out of exam room two, finishing a follow-up with a heart patient when he saw the Stilinski men making their way back up the hallway. Colin was happily sucking on a red lollipop while the two older men talked quietly.

“Doctor Derek, look! I did it!” Colin proudly showed off his Avengers bandaid from having his blood drawn, red-dyed lollipop lips curled into a big smile.

Derek laughed as he went in the opposite direction of his next patient to crouch down to Colin’s level.

“Give me five man, you are the king of the hospital now!” Colin gave him five before scurrying back over to clamp on to the Sheriff’s leg. Derek stood, ruffling Colin’s hair.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow, ok?” He offered his hand out to the Sheriff, then Stiles, for a handshake.

“Yep, ass-crack of dawn, we’ll be here.” Stiles snarked.

Derek looked at Colin and pointed his finger at him. “And what do you have to remember to bring with you young man?”

Colin grinned again and shouted, “my veins!”

Derek said his goodbyes and headed off to his next appointment as the trio made their way out to the parking garage. The Sheriff clapped his son across his shoulders, giving him a squeeze of comfort.

“So, anything you want to tell me about you and the good doctor, son?”

“Daaaad….  



	4. Chapter 4

“Come in,” came the response to the knock at his door.

The door opened and his head enforcer walked in.

“Hey Duke, heard back from the Beacon County group. They’re all set up and ready for us. Seems they were much more motivated after hearing about Anderson.” The large man sniggered.

Deucalion sat back in his chair, taking in the man in front of him. “Well done Ennis. Sometimes one must remind one’s associates as to the wisdom of doing what they’re supposed to do.” He closed up the folder of papers he’d been sorting through before looking back up to Ennis.

“Get in touch with the boys, have them get started. But remind them to keep themselves under control. I do not want a repeat of Vancouver, am I clear? Make sure they spread the culling out. They garnered too much attention last time.”

Ennis nodded. “Perhaps we should use someone else, I just wonder if the two of them are too distinct, being twins?”

Deucalion shook his head. “No, for now keep them on it. Right now their appearance is working to our advantage. Their uniqueness is luring in the right kind of targets. We’ll continue to use them until they are no longer useful.”

Ennis bobbed his head before making his exit and searching out the twin men. Before he could get back to work there was another knock, this time on the door jamb and a sultry, “hey Alpha, you got a second?”

Duke smiled at the woman leaning in his doorway, her long brown hair flowing down over her shoulders to frame her cleavage, always on prominent display in her tight tank tops. He let his eyes rake down her body, down her long, thin but deadly legs before making their way back up.

“For you my love, always. Close the door and lock it behind you.”

Kali smiled before pushing up and quickly closing and securing the door before she stalked over to Deucalion. He pushed his chair away from the desk as Kali came up and sat in his lap, her legs straddling his hips and tucking her feet around the back chair legs and wrapping her arms around his neck. Duke wasted no time wrapping his own arms around her waist and pulling her in for a deep, filthy kiss.

He broke the kiss but nosed around her throat, sucking a mark on her neck and ripping a throaty groan from the woman as his hands trailed up to cup her breasts.

“Jesus Duke, you’re making it so I can’t remember why I came in here,” she said, breathless. The man chuckled into her skin before pulling back and looking at her, but leaving his hands where they were. “Hmmm, oh yes, we should be all set with our insider. I was able to properly convince him. These small town cops are so easy.”

Duke smiled, another part of his plan was secured it seemed. “I can always count on you to get the important stuff done, Kali, well done. I think maybe you deserve a reward,” he told her, his voice lowering. He leaned in and took her in another scorching kiss, sliding his thumbs over her nipples. Kali moaned and ground her hips down into Duke’s lap, relishing in the feel of him going hard under her. She worked a hand down and unbuckled his belt, then undid his button and zipper and pulling his cock out. At the same time he pulled her top up and off, then quickly undid the clasp on her bra. He leaned in a sucked a nipple deep into his mouth, running his tongue over and around while his other hand kneaded the other breast. Kali had taken him in hand and was stroking him with one hand while the other held his head to her chest.

“Duke, fuck me, please. It’s been too long,” she cried. Duke looked up at her with a sly grin and a chuckle. “I had you last night my dear, but if it’s too long of a gap for you, by all means, let me fuck you.”

Kali stood up, unwrapping her legs from around Duke, and he stood and pushed her back onto the desk and then grabbed the waistband of her leggings and pulled them down and off, along with her shoes. He stood there, still in his suit pants and crisp white button down shirt and took in her nude form.

“Beautiful,” he whispered, running his hands up her legs. “My beautiful Kali, what do you want? Slow and sweet? Hard and fast?”

“Yesss”, the woman replied, wanting it all. Duke chuckled at her as he grabbed her legs and pushed them up and then planting kisses on her ankles.

“Greedy girl,” he whispered, sucking hard on the inside of her thighs. He ran his hands up further, thumbs brushing over the crease of her groin and then slowly running a finger down her cleft and pulling another moan from the woman.

“Please Duke, don’t tease me,” she cried as she braced herself up slightly on her elbows. Duke slid the same finger in deep, then bent down and ran his tongue between her lips and sucking hard on her clit while running his finger in and out. Kali let her head fall back as she let the feeling of Duke’s tongue wash over her. The man had a magical tongue, she was convinced of it. Duke sucked and licked and nipped, driving Kali crazy and right up to the edge before he pulled away. Before she could protest he grabbed his cock and stroked it a couple of times before moving in.

He slowly pushed into the tight, wet heat, relishing in the feeling of Kali clamping around him. God he loved fucking her, he could fuck her all day long if she’d let him. And the great thing was that she wasn’t high-strung, not like some of his previous relationships. They had bored him quickly with their constant demands and high maintenance. Kali, Kali was so different. Loyal, dependable, trust-worthy, a partner in the truest sense of the word. And hot as hell, he thought, as he picked up speed and began to thrust in harder.

Kali had fallen back to lay flat and had her arms above her so that she could grip the edge of the desk. And if that position helped display her breasts, well neither she nor Duke would complain.

“Harder Duke, please!” She cried. He grinned again as he positioned her legs how he wanted them and then grabbed her hips and began to furiously pound into her. “Like that my love? You want it hard?” Kali could only nod furiously as her orgasm hit hard, ripping through her and making her scream out. Deucalion came just after, the sensation of her clamping down tight around his cock was too much and he spilled into her with a grunt. He gave her a few more languid thrusts, milking his release for as a long as possible, before finally leaning down over her. He pulled her up to him and gave her a soft kiss before nosing into her throat.

“I love you Duke,” Kali whispered. Duke gave her another soft, chaste kiss and pulled her all of the way up and wrapped his arms around her, cocooning her. “I love you too, my girl.”

 

* * *

 

 

Derek pulled his gloves off, throwing them into the hazardous waste bin, then followed with the gown and hat before moving off into the wash room. He kicked on the hot water and began soaping himself back up as the nurses came in and began to clean as well.

“Good job in there Doctor,” one nurse said as she pulled her gear off as well.

“Thanks Erica, it’s always nice to have an easy case once in a while,” Derek replied as he rinsed off and went to grab a sterile towel to dry off. “Let me know when he’s settled into post-op, ok? I’m going to go talk to the family.”

“You got it boss,” Erica said, watching Derek head out through the double doors and admiring the view of his backside. God she’d do anything to make him straight, she thought to herself. All of the nurses had varying levels of crushes on the doctor. She just snorted to herself as she toweled off and headed off to handle post-op.

Derek stepped into the recovery room for a quick peek at his patient before he headed into the family waiting room. The little boy was still asleep, and would be for a while yet. Derek couldn’t help brushing his hair back a little and patting his cheek. He’d had two dates with his father since the night at the bar. Nothing fancy, just going out for coffee after work. But it had been really nice and relaxed. He was beginning to learn that Stiles was a master of snark and sarcasm, was funny and had some self-esteem issues. He was shy, yet outgoing, and Derek was beginning to think that his sarcasm was a defense mechanism. He was really looking forward to going out more with him, and deep down was really hoping this would go somewhere. He’d had some short-term boyfriends, but they eventually got tired of his work schedule and being on call and whatnot. Unfortunately he refused to date anyone from his work place because nine times out of ten it led to serious issues when the break-up inevitably hit. Maybe dating a deputy would be the answer. Similar work schedules but different occupations.

Once Colin had recovered from his surgery Derek was going to suggest a date that included Colin. He was hoping Stiles would be up for it. As he stood there musing on his love life, one of the surgical nurses came into the room and smiled at him as she moved over to the gurney.

“Sorry Doctor, I need to get him into post-op, unless you want me to wait?”

Derek shook his head at the moppy haired young man. “No, that’s alright, go ahead and get him settled. I just wanted to check on him before talking to his father.” And with a nod at him Derek turned and headed out of the room towards the doors that would lead him to the family waiting room. The surgery had taken three hours, but the time needed for intake and time spent in pre-op meant that Stiles and the Sheriff had been sitting in the waiting room for most of the day. He didn’t waste any time making his way down the corridor to the waiting area and stepped into the room. He noticed right away the Sheriff leaning back in a chair, legs straight out and crossed at the ankles, arms crossed over his chest and eyes closed. Stiles on the other hand was sitting forward in his chair, legs bouncing while he rubbed his eyes and sighed loudly.

“Mr. Stilinski,” he said quietly, hoping to not wake the Sheriff. However both men immediately jumped to their feet and said, “Yes?” Derek quickly moved over to them and sat down, indicating for them to sit as well.

“How is he? Is he ok? Did it work?” Stiles asked, rapid-fire.

“Colin did great, we were able to close the hole and there were no complications whatsoever.” Derek smiled as the two men visibly let their breaths out in tandem. “He’s in post-op right now being monitored and will be in there for a little bit. Then we’ll move him into a room and you’ll be able to see him. He may begin to wake, he may not. Each patient is different in how long it takes to get past the anesthesia.”

Stiles smiled, his hand going up to rub his neck. Another tell that Derek is discovering. Derek couldn’t help it, he patted Stiles on the knee and tried to give him a subtle squeeze. “He’s going to be ok Stiles. He came through like a fighter, just like I thought he would.”

Stiles let out a choked laugh, the sense of relief was overwhelming. “Thanks Derek, for everything.” He rubbed his eyes and yawned, then blushed and apologized. Derek stood up and nodded to the Sheriff, trying to remind himself that the man’s father, the Sheriff, was in the same room. “Have either of you eaten since you came in?”

Both men shook their heads no. “Go get food. It’ll be at least forty minutes before you’ll be able to see Colin. The cafeteria isn’t that bad to be honest. Go eat something, hydrate. If he gets out before you’re back I’ll have the nurse text you, ok?”

When he got promises from the two that they would go eat, he left them to it and headed back into the hallway and back into the surgical area. Stiles watched as Derek pushed through the large double doors with the big red sign reading, “Authorized Personnel Only”, and then the doors swinging back and forth until they finally closed.

“Come on son, let’s go eat.” John slung his arm over Stiles’ shoulders and side-hugged him, and Stiles wrapped his around his dad’s waist. Both men felt much more at ease knowing the surgery was over and Colin was recovering. They still had to deal with recovery and pain management, but that seemed like a much smaller hurdle to deal with than the terrifying threat of a heart condition.

“So, at what point did you and Doctor Hale start on a first name basis?” John couldn’t help but ask, a teasing note in his voice. He knew his son had recently gone on a couple of dates since he’d been the one to watch Colin, but Stiles had been tight-lipped about who it was he was seeing.

“Ugh Dad, you have to ask me that now?” Stiles whined, suddenly feeling like he was sixteen again and being grilled by his father.

“Well, I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever called my doctor by his first name. I don’t even know if I know what his first name is. And since when do doctors offer to text you? So out with it son. Is Doctor Hale the one you went out with?”

The two men stopped in the corridor, Stiles suddenly looking nervous. “Yeah, yeah he is. Is that weird? Since he’s Colin’s doctor? I mean, I’ll probably fu-mess it up, I don’t exactly have the best track record, and again, he’s Colin’s doctor which probably means there’s some kind of conflict of interest or…”

“Stiles…”

The Sheriff cut off the rambling before his son ran out of breath. “I’m teasing you. It’s fairly obvious to your old man that you two have eyes for each other. Do you like him?”

Stiles nodded, then blushed. Jesus, what was his deal? He was thirty four, he was an adult, surely he should be able to talk about this with his dad without blushing like a teenager.

“He seems like a very nice person. He obviously likes kids, and I was very impressed with how he handled Colin.  And a surgeon, I mean you could do a hell of a lot worse.” John cupped his son’s face in a way only a dad could do, portraying with just that gentle touch the love a father has for his son. “If he makes you happy son, go for it and don’t let go.”

* * *

 

“O.K. Mr. Stilinski, come on back. Colin is just starting to wake up. He’s going to be pretty groggy and out of it, and he may feel sick as well until the remainder of the anesthesia has gotten out of his system. He’ll spend the night here in this room and then in the morning Doctor Hale will be back to check on him. I understand you’ll be spending the night with him, correct?”

Stiles nodded at her, “yeah, I am. Can we both go back to see him?” The nurse smiled and nodded at the men and then led them back through the ominous double doors to where Colin was recovering. Stiles held his breath as they made their way past the nurse’s station towards his son’s room. The sounds of machines beeping and breathing for their respective patients was creepy, and he was going to be very glad to get Colin out of here and back home. Into his own bed, his own house.

They quietly stepped into a dimly lit room and Stiles’ first thought was how small his son looked in the hospital bed. He was hooked up to various machines, an IV line was still attached, a heart monitor and other things that Stiles had no idea what their purpose was also connected to the little boy. Colin had his eyes closed and was laying still, a nasal cannula providing oxygen to him.

“We’re keeping the IV in to keep him hydrated, he’s also on some strong pain medication as well to help him. He’s been such a good little boy”, the nurse told them. Stiles just smiled at her as he made his way over to the side of the bed to take his son’s hand and brushing his hair back he kissed him on his forehead. The Sheriff thanked the nurse as she left and he made his way over to the other side to sit with his boys.

* * *

 

Stiles woke the next morning with the absolute worst cramp in his neck. Despite the nurse pulling out a pull away bed for him Stiles had fallen asleep sitting in a chair with his head on the bed next to Colin’s hip, and both arms under his head. He sat up biting back a curse as his muscles very much protested their previous position and tried to stretch himself out. Someone had placed a blanket around his shoulders at some point and when he stood up to work the kinks out of his legs he saw a note from his father on the little end table.

_‘Left when visiting hours were over. You had fallen asleep and I didn’t want to wake you. I’m at the station today, call me when you can and give me an update on Colin. Hang in there son, the worst part is over – Love you, Dad’_

Nurses came in and out, checking on Colin and trying to get him to eat breakfast, taking his vitals and whatnot. Stiles stayed with him the entire time, never leaving his room. At about eleven o’clock Derek knocked on the door jamb and stuck his head in.

“How’s my favorite patient doing today?” He asked as he stepped inside the room, Colin’s chart in his hands. Colin didn’t reply but Stiles said he’d been pretty quiet all morning. “That’s to be expected. It’s going to take some time for him to feel like his usual self. He’s going to be sore but we’ll keep him on pain meds to control it. How are you feeling tiger? Do you feel sick at all, like you need to throw up?”

Colin shook his head as Derek moved closer, scanning his vitals from the night before and then checking the bandage on his leg. “That’s good. If you do feel sick you just let us know ok? I’m going to listen to your heart real quick and then maybe you can take a nap. I’ll try and get the nurses to lay off coming in for a bit,” he said with a smile. It was no secret that if you absolutely needed to sleep, a hospital was not the place to be. Derek pulled his stethoscope off from around his shoulders and put them in his ears and then listened to Colin’s heart, moving it around a couple of times.

“OK, sounds really good. I don’t hear anything abnormal. If he continues to recover nicely like this we should be able to discharge him around dinner time.” Derek pulled a pen out of the front pocket of his blue scrubs and began to make notes in the chart.

Derek looked up at Stiles as he wrote his notes, taking in the tired posture and the bags under his eyes. “Have you eaten anything today Stiles?” He asked quietly. Stiles shook his head before letting out a massive yawn that he tried to cover up.

“Nah, I haven’t wanted to leave in case he woke up scared. My dad gets off in a couple of hours and he can bring me something then I guess.” Derek stood up, replacing his stethoscope around his neck and allowed himself to rub a hand over Stiles’ back.

“He’s doing really good. Like I said, I see no reason not to discharge him around dinner time if he keeps doing this well. He’ll recover faster at home in his own bed.” Stiles smiled as he grabbed the hand Derek had on his back. “Thanks Derek, so much. You have no idea how grateful I am.”

“Hang in there, lots of rest and he’ll be up and at ‘em in no time”, Derek said as he left the room, winking at Stiles. Stiles watched him go out to the nurse’s station. A blonde nurse in maroon scrubs came up to him and Stiles could see Derek speaking to her, then indicating Colin’s room. The nurse turned her gaze and caught Stiles’ and smiled, then nodded as she said something else to Derek and left.

Shortly after Derek had left, maybe around thirty minutes or so, there was a knock on the door and the nurse Derek had been talking with walked in with a bag. It took all of two seconds for the smell coming from it to hit Stiles and he couldn’t help the rumble that escaped his stomach.

“Doctor Hale said he expects you to eat this and not give him any crap about it,” she said, giving him what could only be described as a saucy wink. She handed the bag over to Stiles who opened it and let out a moan of pleasure at the sight of the cheeseburger and curly fries inside the bag.

“He’s never done that for a patient before,” she said with a cheeky grin, like she knew more than just a Doctor/Patient relationship was going on. Stiles just grinned back at her as he popped a fry into his mouth.


	5. Chapter 5

Deucalion strode down the rickety metal stairs into the distribution area of the warehouse. His crew was busy packing up product and getting ready to move it. He could see Ennis and Kali overseeing the workers as each bundle was wrapped, boxed and then crated for shipping. By this time tomorrow the warehouse would be empty and no sign of Deucalion, his crew or his product would be found.

Kali looked up as Duke made his way towards her and she couldn’t help but take in the sight. He was dressed in his usual crisp black suit pants, black leather hard-soled dress shoes, and today he’d opted for a soft, dark grey cowl necked sweater. His blond hair was styled just right with a subtle amount of scruff on strong jaws. The look was completed, however, with the trait that Kali had fallen for – the walk of a man who had no doubts where he stood in the food chain. He was all alpha male and he knew it. That level of self-confidence was what had attracted her to the man now standing in front of her, his deep blue eyes running over her and a small quirk to his lips.

“Darling. I trust everything is still on schedule?”

Kali nodded as she crossed her arms and turned to him. “Yes. We should be clear of this location right on time. So far so good, it’s been very smooth.”

Duke nodded as he surveyed the area. There was a large box truck parked inside, the back door open as it was loaded with crates. Once full the truck would leave to deliver its cargo to their various distributors.

“Very good.” Duke turned back to the woman. “Have the twins made their way down south?”

Kali nodded again. “Yep, they left yesterday. They’ve been scouting and last report was that they already had a potential target. By the time we arrive they should have it secured. We’ve already disposed of the last ones here.”

“Good job. Keep at it my dear. With any luck we’ll find success in Beacon Hills.”

* * *

 

Derek had just finished up a triple bypass surgery and was getting cleaned up. He really wanted to be done so he could leave. Yes sir, Derek Hale had a hot date tonight. He was furiously scrubbing up when Erica popped in to scrub as well. She smirked at him when she saw how he was rushing.

“Jesus Derek, why are you in such a rush. It’s like there’s a hot guy out there waiting for you or something.” She gave him a cheeky grin as she kicked on the water and grabbed the soap.

Derek just grinned back. “Very hot, yes.” He waggled his eyebrows at his nurse who also happened to be his best friend.

“You guys seem to be getting serious. You think he’s the one? When do I get to meet him? For real and not just as a food delivery.” She rinsed off as Derek was drying his arms and hands. He looked almost thoughtful, like he was giving her question great thought.

“I do. I think. I mean, there’s no denying he’s good looking. He’s got a wicked sense of humor. He’s shy but not afraid to come to peoples’ defenses. He loves his kid. Has a good job. I want him to be it, you know? But at the same time I’m trying not to get too hopeful. I’ve had such shitty luck, I don’t want to say he’s the one and then it all goes to shit.”

“Do you love him?” Leave it to Erica to hit him point blank, he thought ruefully. Derek let out a breath, flipping his hand towel over his shoulder.

“I think I’m falling, yeah. Christ. We’ve been on a handful of dates, yet I feel like I’ve known him my whole life, like being in love with him at this point should be a no brainer. And I’m having a hard time reconciling that with the fact it’s _only been a handful of dates_.”

Erica walked over and hooked her arm into Derek’s and led him out to the locker room. “Derek, you know I love you like a brother. Well, ok honestly a brother I’d like to fuck, and I’ve been around a long time and seen your disastrous past relationships. I can honestly say, from where I’m standing? This is different. You seem happy, content, and your eyes get a little sparkle when you mention him. Grab on to this and hold on. I don’t remember you ever being like this with the others. So, go get changed and go find your boyfriend and take him out. And maybe take him home for some _dessert_ ”, she giggled, waggling her eyebrows back at Derek on the word.

* * *

 

The two men crashed through the door barely after it had opened, arms and mouths tangled together. Derek was at least lucid enough to kick it shut behind him with a foot as he pushed Stiles up against his living room wall. Stiles rucked Derek’s shirt up while the other man sucked marks on his throat, pulling back long enough to lift his arms and fling his shirt off. The second it was off he attacked Stiles’ mouth, kissing him greedily.

“Please….tell me…mmm…you..unh…have time…” he groaned out in between kisses. When he began sucking on Stiles’ neck again the man let out a long, low moan and rutted into Derek.

“Fuck Derek…yeah…got all night. Dad has Colin…til mor…fuckyeah..morning.”

Derek pulled back with a gleam. “We have all night? What time do you have to be in for work?” Stiles just grinned as he began to unbuckle Derek’s jeans. “I’m off tomorrow.” Derek grabbed Stiles’ arm and dragged him in to the bedroom while tossing a “me too” at the other man. He pulled Stiles into his bedroom, the only light coming from a small lamp he’d left on. It cast just the right amount of light, giving the room a soft, romantic feel to it. Stiles ran his hands down Derek’s chest and over the six pack of abs, greedily admiring the man’s body.

“Fuck you’re hot,” he said quietly, running a finger down the soft happy trail. Stiles slowly lowered himself to his knees and began to finish undoing Derek’s jeans. He slowly brought the zipper down and dipped his fingers just under the open waistband. He leaned in and placed soft kisses where his fingers went, moving them back around his hips before pushing them further inside the pants. Derek let out a breath at the feeling of Stiles’ mouth trailing over his skin and couldn’t help but run his own hands through the man’s soft hair.

Stiles began to push Derek’s jeans down, achingly slow, running his hands down his long, strong legs. He pulled at the laces to Derek’s boots and eventually got them off, then pulled the jeans off the rest of the way. He let his hands wander back up Derek’s legs, scratching his nails through the dark hair. When he got back up to Derek’s groin, Stiles looked up and gazed at the man as he pulled his boxers down and off, never breaking eye contact. Derek thought it was the hottest thing he’d ever seen and felt himself become unbelievably harder. He was already so hard it was bordering on painful.

Still not breaking eye contact Stiles leaned in and nosed under Derek’s balls and then slowly sucked one into his mouth, tonguing it. Derek tightened the grip he had on Stiles’ hair at the sensation and had to focus on not ripping the poor man’s hair out. He let his head fall back in pure bliss as Stiles began running his tongue up his cock and swirled it around the swollen head. He grabbed Derek’s hips and swallowed him down before popping back up and tonguing the slit.

“Ohmygod...fuck…keep doing that…” Derek groaned out. Stiles sank down again all the way to the base and then swallowed, pulling a quiet yell out of Derek. He began to bob up and down, moving one hand around to grab his balls and carefully pull on them. Stiles hollowed his cheeks and let out a long moan around the cock, the vibrations almost pulling Derek over the edge.

“Fuck Stiles, I’m not gonna last much longer.”

Stiles began to work Derek’s cock with more vigor, one hand rolling his balls, while the other pumped him below his mouth. Stiles pulled off for a second to sloppily suck on his own finger before sinking once again all the way to the base of Derek’s cock. He circled Derek’s rim before pushing a finger in and crooking it while at the same time swallowing. Derek let out a yell and began to buck his hips into Stiles as he came hard, shooting ropes of hot cum down Stile’s throat. Stiles swallowed all of it as he slowed his movements, milking Derek’s cock for as long as he could before finally releasing it. Derek let his legs buckle and he came down onto his knees in front of Stiles, glassy eyed and blissed out. Derek kissed him, licking into his mouth and tasting himself.

He pulled away and began to pull at Stiles’ shirt. “You are way too overdressed deputy,” he said, still sounding sex drunk. They both stood up and Derek made quick work of undressing Stiles before pushing him backwards until he hit the bed. Stiles pushed himself back into the center of the large bed, the down comforter pillowing under and around him. Derek climbed over him, then leaned in for a deep kiss. He licked into Stiles’ mouth, sucking on his tongue. Stiles grabbed Derek, placing both hands around his cheeks and neck, pulling him into the kiss. Derek began to suck marks down his throat, over his collarbone, ran his teeth over both nipples then lapped at them to soothe them.

“You are beautiful, you know that?” Derek said as he rubbed his hands up and down Stiles’ ribs. Stiles felt the warm blush creep up his cheeks as he shook his head. “Hardly, just lots of pale skin.” Derek shook his head at him in rebuttal, placing kisses over each mole he could find. “Nonsense. Look at you, long limbs, and your hands, I dream about your hands and those long fingers, and the things they do to me. How they can take me apart and put me back together again.” He kissed his way down, sticking his tongue into Stiles’ belly button, knowing full well it was a ticklish spot. He was rewarded with a yelp and couldn’t help the shit-eating grin he gave the other man.

“And then there’s this part, right here.” Derek kissed the tip of Stiles’ cock, making it weep precum at the tip. Derek reached out with his tongue and gently lapped it up. “I love this part too.” Stiles let out a low groan when Derek wrapped his lips around his length and slowly sank down, then back up. Derek settled himself between Stiles’ legs as he feasted on him. He grabbed the cock and slapped it against his tongue, then swallowed it down. Stiles bucked up at that.

“Fuck Derek, that feels so damn good,” he sighed. He reached his arms up over his head, grabbing the pillow and holding on while Derek went down on him with vigor. Stiles felt like he floating, just soaking in the feeling of Derek’s lips and tongue working over his cock.  Derek stopped for a second to reach into the nightstand, grabbing the bottle of lube. He popped the cap and squeezed some onto his fingers before reaching back and fingering himself. Stiles caught his breath, wanting that more than anything. “Do you need some prep?” Derek shook his head. “Nope, did it before we went out.” Stiles grinned and called him a cheeky bastard. Derek for his part just smirked before scooting up and positioning himself. He grabbed Stiles’ cock and lined himself up, then slowly sank down. Stiles let out a loud moan as the feeling of Derek’s tight entrance enveloped him.

“Oh sweet baby Jesus that feels incredible. So tight Der…”

Derek began to rock himself, leaning forward and putting his hands on either side of Stile’s armpits.

“You like that Stiles? I’m gonna ride you hard. Gonna fuck myself on your cock. I want to feel you explode inside me. Then later on I’m gonna fuck you so hard your eyes roll back into your head. You’ll be screaming my name over and over as I pour my seed into you.”

Stiles could feel his balls tightening up. This wasn’t the first time they’d had sex but it was the first time Derek had let loose with dirty talk, and it was hot as hell. Stiles grabbed Derek’s hips and began to piston himself up into the man’s ass. Derek met his thrusts and pushed down on him, wringing out every sensation he could. Stiles got his feet flat onto the bed and pounded Derek, letting out grunts as he came hard, feeling like he might black out. Derek ground down on him, milking him until he was completely spent, then leaned in for a sweet kiss.

* * *

 

They lay in bed, Stiles with his head resting against Derek’s chest, and Derek’s arm wrapped around him and playing with the hair around the nape of his neck. They were both quiet, just enjoying the afterglow of a great night. Stiles heard a small “hmm” come from Derek, and he looked up at the man. “Whatcha thinkin’ Der?”

Derek looked over at Stiles, a smile on his face as well as pink cheeks. “Wondering if you ever use your handcuffs for uh, non-police reasons.” Stiles raised his eyebrows, his own smile creeping in. “Why you kinky devil. It just so happens I have my backup pair in the jeep.”

A few minutes later and it was Derek’s turn to ask. “I swear I can hear you thinking Stiles. What’s up?” When Stiles hesitated in answering, Derek rolled over to look at him. “You ok? What’s wrong?” Stiles looked at Derek, biting his lip and nibbling on it. “Nothing’s wrong. Just wondering how easily words scare you off.” Derek just looked at him, wondering what he was getting at. He raised an eyebrow at Stiles, silently prodding him to continue. When Stiles began to chew on his thumb Derek knew Stiles was worried. “What do you mean Stiles?” He asked quietly. Stiles shrugged and looked away, but spoke. “Well, like. I mean, I’m wondering if it would freak you out if I told you..I was head over heels for you.” Derek immediately relaxed and broke out into a smile. He leaned in and kissed Stiles deeply, whispering “ _ **nothing** _ you could say to me would freak me out,” against his lips. Stiles licked his lips as he looked into Derek’s eyes. “So, uh, it wouldn’t freak you out if I said, um, I’m pretty sure that I’m…fuck it. I’m in love with you.” Stiles gave a brisk nod of his head, as if to say – ‘there, I said it’, before Derek was on top of him, one hand caressing his face gently. Derek kissed him again, long and deep, pouring all of his feelings into it. When he finally broke away, he ran his nose along Stiles’ jawline, then looked him dead in the eyes.

“I love you too Stiles.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This are about to get interesting...

Stiles sighed when his cell rang. It was his work cell and dammit, he was supposed to be off today. He picked it up, saw the caller ID for dispatch, and swiped the screen to answer it.

“Stilinski.”

Stiles sat on his couch, listening to dispatch request his presence at a crime scene, while watching Derek and Colin playing with Colin’s Geotrax train set. They each had a controller in their hands and were laughing every time their trains almost crashed into each other, complete with sound effects. Derek was making funny noises, causing Colin to laugh hysterically. Stiles had felt something settle in him, watching Derek bond with his son, and his son with Derek. It was settling but at the same time terrifying. If for some reason things didn’t work out between him and Derek, he worried it would kill his son. Colin had really grown to like Derek, thanks to Derek’s perseverance. He had broken Colin out of his shell and brought out a side of Colin rarely seen by anyone but Stiles and his father. Colin had recovered fully from his surgery months ago and was already growing more and looking healthier.

“Got it, I’ll be there in about fifteen. I need to get into uniform first.”

Stiles hung up with dispatch as Derek looked up. “Getting called in?” Colin sat back on his heels, looking at his dad.

“Yeah, they want me at a crime scene. Most of the on-duty guys are busy working another couple of issues. Uh, do you mind watching Colin? I have no idea how long I’ll be. If not that’s fine, I can call his babysitter.” Derek waved him off. “Heck no, I’ve got him. We still have trains to crash, right buddy?” Colin laughed and agreed heartily before jumping up and running over to Stiles to give him a hug around his legs.

“Be careful daddy!”

Stiles leaned down and kissed his son. “I will tiger. You behave for Derek ok?” Colin gave him a grin that was 100% Stilinski ‘oh-hell-no-I’m-about-to-unleash-my-inner-devil’, and Stiles could only be two parts worried for Derek and three parts proud. “That’s my boy,” he said, giving Derek a cheeky grin as he got up and headed into his room to change into his uniform.

When he came back out he was wrapping his gun belt around his waist and buckling it. He grabbed his Sheriff’s jacket and threw it on and grabbed his keys as Derek got up off the floor to walk him out.

“You sure you got him Der? I feel like you’re about to get a true test of how much you want to be in a relationship with me.”

When Derek laughed and raised an eyebrow, Stiles couldn’t help but laugh as well. “You think you know him, but you’ve never had him by yourself. He’s gonna keep you on your toes. Just ask my dad about his first solo.”

Derek snorted before kissing Stiles quickly. “Go on deputy, go catch the bad guys.” Stiles gave him a two finger salute, yelled ‘bye’ one more time to Colin, then headed out. As Derek went to close the door behind him he yelled out at Stiles. “Oh, and bring another pair of cuffs home,” followed by some serious eyebrow waggling and a laugh from Stiles. Derek closed the door and made sure it was locked as he headed back in to the room to keep playing with Colin.

“Derek why d’ya need daddy’s handcuffs?”

* * *

 

Stiles pulled up on scene and threw the Explorer into park. He killed the lights on the roof but left his strobe lights on the grill on before hopping out and heading over to the building. He ducked under the police tape that had been strung up, nodding at the grunt manning the tape. He looked up at the building that had been cordoned off, some kind of herb shop it looked like. There was Asian lettering on the windows but he had no idea what it said. He stepped inside and nodded to Deputy Mitchell who’d been first on scene.

“What’ve we got Jack?” Stiles asked. He took in the sight, shelves filled with mason jars that looked like they hadn’t been dusted in the last century lined the walls. There was a waist-high counter with a flip top section where a worker could move in between the front of the store and the back. In the corner was an Asian woman who looked this side of two hundred, rapidly speaking to a younger woman, possibly her daughter, who seemed to be translating for the deputy trying to take her statement. Nothing looked disturbed or out of place.

Stiles’ eyes scanned the jars. Most seemed to be filled with herbs of some sort, the labels were all in whatever language was spoken by the owner. Chinese maybe, Stiles thought. He made a squick sound when he saw jars filled with things that were definitely not herbs. Some held tarantulas, dead thank god, some held desiccated animals likes frogs. He couldn’t help the shudder than went through him.

“We’ve got a DB in the back. It’s pretty gruesome. Looks like a struggle took place. Lots of broken jars. Not sure yet what, if anything, was stolen. That’s Mrs. Chin over there. Her husband is the DB. The other is her grand-daughter. Mrs. Chin doesn’t speak English, so the grand-daughter is translating for us. We won’t let her in the back to see if anything was taken until the coroner removes the body. But the cash register out here is untouched, and this apparently is a cash business. There’s a safe in the back that also appears to be untouched.”

“So robbery doesn’t seem to be the motive then?” Stiles asked the other deputy. Mitchell shrugged. “I have no idea. It’s such a mess back there it’s hard to tell. I’m hoping they can move the body out soon so that the wife can take a look.”

Stiles nodded to Jack and headed back towards the rear of the store. He nodded to the police photographer who was snapping photos left, right and center.

“Jesus,” Stiles stammered, taking in the sight of the dead body in the room. An older man, Asian and apparently the husband of the woman out front, sat in a chair, hands tied behind the chair back and ropes wrapped around his arms. His head had fallen back, exposing his throat. Or at least, what was left of it. The entire front of the man was covered in dried blood where it had bled out from the open wound and run down his body and into his lap, and then down to the floor.

“He looks like he was mauled. That’s not a simple throat slash.” Stiles tried to hold his breath somewhat, trying to avoid the stench of dead body and the coppery, sickening smell of the blood, as he leaned in close to examine the wound. “It looks like his throat was just, for lack of a better term, _ripped_ out.” Stiles was almost positive the little bits of white he was seeing was the man’s spine. He was surprised the head was still attached.

“So this is obviously not a robbery gone bad, the vic has been bound. Possibly interrogated.” Stiles said to himself. This was where he excelled at his job, working through the puzzle pieces of a crime. He looked around the back room. There was the safe, which was closed. There were more mason jars that had once been stored but had been knocked off the shelves. Some had broken and Stiles took in the contents. It looked like more herbs and animal parts.

“Get shots of all of this will you, especially the labels. Make sure you get the labels,” Stiles called out to the photographer.

He continued to take in the room, scanning everything that could be a clue. He looked up when the coroner came in, nodding to the old man as he began to pull out his supplies to take care of the victim.

“Make sure to bag his hands,” Stiles said absently, not seeing the look of “no shit” the coroner gave him. The man had been doing this for 43 years, he knew to bag the hands. But he kept quiet as he began to prepare the body for transport while his assistant wheeled in the gurney and unzipped the body bag. Stiles kept going over the room, soaking up every detail he could. He had a man tied to a chair, dead. Probably questioned by his assailant. The room had been trashed, but no money was taken. Had the perp been looking for something specific? What would they be looking for in a Chinese herbal shop?

Stiles squatted down as he snapped on a pair of black latex gloves and using just his index finger began to push broken pieces of glass around. It appeared the labels were all in Chinese characters. He would need someone to translate for him. He used his phone to snap photos, even though the photographer was doing the same. It would let him get started on translating a little bit quicker.

While he was still squatting he took in everything at this level, and that’s when he noticed that one of the shelves looked to have a false back in it. The shelves that would have been visible to anyone looking were sideways, and on closer inspection Stiles saw that they were hinged on one side, allowing it to swing open like a safe door. He grabbed his flashlight off his belt and shined it into the enclosed space. The bottles inside were lined up neatly, but there was a jar missing, if the gap between bottles and dust ring were any indication. So, he hypothesized, these were kept behind a locked, hidden shelf, meaning they were more valuable, in some way, than what was shelved elsewhere in the store. He needed to know what these labels said. He snapped photos of it all with his phone.

He stood up and turned, noticing that the body was on the gurney and the coroner’s assistant was zipping the bag up as the coroner himself filled out a sheet clipped to a metal clipboard. He nodded at Stiles. “We’re taking him out of here and back to the morgue. I’ll get him posted ASAP since my schedule is pretty open and this is a violent death. I’ll let you know what I find as soon as I find it, Deputy.”

Stiles nodded his thanks to the older man and watched as they wheeled the dead man out of the room. Peeling off his gloves and stuffing them into a pocket, Stiles made his way back out to the front where the wife and granddaughter were, sobbing as they watched their dead family member being wheeled outside to the M.E.’s van.

He came up to the two women slowly, nodding at them. “I’m very sorry for your loss, ma’am,” he said, the token words feeling shallow. The younger woman translated, and the older woman wiped her eyes. “Are you up to answering a few more questions?” He asked, looking first to the older, then the younger woman. At the dual nods he motioned them over to some chairs to sit before pulling up the photos on his phone. He turned it towards Mrs. Chin, then asked the grand-daughter, “Can you tell me what these jars contain?” When the old woman looked at the photo, she let out a short burst of quickly spoken Chinese. The younger woman answered back, and though Stiles had no idea what was being said, he could tell they were arguing. Rapid fire words and occasional quick glances at Stiles, before the grand-daughter finally looked at Stiles and smiled.

“Chinese medicine,” she said in heavily accented English.

“Yeah, I got that, but could you tell me what the ingredients are, inside the jars? Specific names?”

“Chinese medicine,” repeated the woman, complete with smile.

Stiles raised an eyebrow at the woman, who in turn gave a side-eye look to her mother.

“Chinese medicine.”

Yeah, got it, Stiles thought. He was going to get nowhere with this. Before he could ask another question his radio chirped.

_“Dispatch to Deputy Stilinksi what’s your 10-101?”_

Stiles sighed, nothing like being checked up by your old man, and he knew it was his dad asking for his status, no one else would have a reason to.

“This is Stilinski, on scene. Questioning bystanders.”

**** _“_ _10-4 Deputy. Please 10-21 the Sheriff when possible, over.”_

“10-4 dispatch, will do.”

Stiles looked back to the two women, asking the younger woman her name. When she responded with it, Stiles thanked her. “So Miss Xian, can you tell me what someone may have wanted from the back of the store? Were there valuables hidden there?”

Xian only smiled again. “We family business!”

“Yes, I get that, Chinese medicine,” he said, waving a hand. “But can you tell me what you think they may have wanted? Why they would have questioned your father in the manner they did?”

The two women spoke again in Chinese, before Xian looked back at Stiles, fake smile plastered to her face.

“We sell herb.”

Stiles sighed and rubbed his face. “Yeah, herbs. OK, listen please stay in town and be available for questioning,” Stiles told her, handing the woman his business card with his contact information. He stood up as the women began to talk amid themselves and headed over to Mitchell. “You have their information?”

Mitchell nodded. “Yep. Not exactly productive questioning huh,” he quipped with a smile. Stiles just snorted. “Yeah, well I know they sell Chinese medicine.” Jack slapped Stiles on the back of his shoulders in brotherly support as he headed outside. Pulling out his cell he quickly dialed and held the phone up.

_“Sheriff Stilinski”_

“Yo, whatup pop.”

 _“Jesus Christ Stiles, you’re calling my work cell, could you be professional?”_ The Sheriff said with a laugh, knowing full well that Stiles knew full well himself he called the work cell. “Hey, what good is it being the Sheriff’s kid if I can’t needle you and get away with it? Anyways, I was told you wanted me to call you.”

On the other end Stiles could hear his dad yell something to Parrish, and just by the sounds of mayhem filtering through the phone could tell things were a mess on the Sheriff’s end.

_“Yeah, listen we have a right mess on our hands. Multi-car with fatalities. I had dispatch pull you in to work the crime scene. From what I’ve heard so far it sounds like it’s not a simple B and E. I’d like you to take the lead on it.”_

Stiles raised his eyebrows at his dad’s words. Despite having been on the force now for a few years, being a deputy and the son of the sheriff always meant there was always the possibility that someone would cry favoritism. Therefore, it was rare that Stiles got a chance to shine by being the lead on a case. Even though no one, other than Whittmore, had ever even hinted at that. But then Whittmore was an ass, so Stiles didn’t count him.

“Sure thing, I’m happy to take it. It’s definitely got an unusual vibe to it.”

_“Good. Listen I’m going to be tied up with this accident for hours. Are you ok to work? I know I pulled you in and away from Colin, if you need to head home go for it.”_

Stiles shook his head, even though it wasn’t like his dad could see. “Naw, I’m ok for a couple more hours. Derek is watching him for me.”

Stiles smiled at the sound of his father laughing, knowing full well what he was laughing about.

 _“Oh son, this is the first time right? Any phone calls yet? This will be a true test of Derek’s commitment to you,_ ” the Sheriff laughed again, before signing off with his son. After hanging up Stiles sent a quick message to Derek.

 **To: <Derek>** “Hey Der, how’s it going? Hanging in there? I’ll probably be a couple, three hours more. If you want to order a pizza for dinner go for it.”

 There was a pause, then three dots indicating Derek was responding. It took almost three minutes before the dots finally turned to words.

 **To: <Stiles>** “yeah”

…

Delay

…

 **To: <Stiles>** “totally”

…

Delay

…

 **To: <Stiles>** “got this”

Stiles didn’t know whether to laugh or be worried, but since he hadn’t gotten a frantic call from Derek asking him to come home and save him, Stiles figured things were ok. He hopped into his cruiser and headed back to the station, wanting to spend a little time researching the labels. He had a feeling whatever the ingredients were inside those jars was important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick word of thanks to everyone reading this. I noticed today that I have 68 people subscribed to this story, which is unreal for me. Only one other work came close at 41, so I'm hoping that means my writing is getting better.
> 
> So thanks for reading, and feel free to leave comments!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting. I've been sick for several weeks, fighting a head cold that morphed into a lung and sinus infection. I'm finally feeling back to functioning, if not totally over this.
> 
> Just a heads up for those who care that there's a homophobic slur used once.
> 
> Enjoy, and as always I'd love some comments :-)

“Time to Google the shit out of this,” Stiles said to himself, logging in to his browser and pulling Google up. Typing in ‘Chinese character translation’, along with variations on that, he spend the next hour sifting through various links before he found one with pictures of characters and their English meanings. With any luck he could match them up. On another tab he had pulled up a forum where you could post something in Chinese and have it translated into other languages. Changing his mind he switched back to the tab with the forum and spent a few minutes registering a new account. After verifying his email he was finally allowed to post a new thread. He went into the translation room and uploaded the photos on his phone into a new thread, asking for help with the English translation of the Chinese characters. After submitting his new post he went back to his other tab and began scanning pages of Chinese text.

After almost two hours later with no success, Stiles leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms, yawning. It was almost eight p.m. and he hadn’t heard from Derek. He really needed to get home. He shot off a quick text to Derek telling him he was on his way home, apologizing profusely for the late hour. He shut down his system, let dispatch know he was off duty, then headed out to his SUV to head home.

He pulled into his driveway and was happy to see Derek’s FJ Cruiser was still there. At least he hadn’t bailed, not that Stiles would ever think he would in a million years, but still. The lights were all on but it seemed quiet, so Stiles let himself in quietly. Setting his keys down on the entry table he called out softly for Derek. He didn’t get an answer so he worked his way through the house, figuring they’d be in the den.

When he came around the corner it was everything he could do not to laugh out loud. Despite it being only half past eight, both figures were sound asleep. Derek was flat on his back on the floor, but with his legs up on the cushions like he was using the couch to do sit ups. Colin was face down on Derek’s chest, snoring loudly and drooling, a toy truck clutched tightly in one hand, the other one under his cheek. Derek had one arm wrapped around Colin and the other one held a stuffed snake that Stiles had won for Colin one year at the county fair. The room looked like Toys R Us had exploded inside. There was a pizza box on the table, some empty cups and empty bowls of ice-cream. Stiles couldn’t help but snap a photo of it and felt the love he had for both of them go that much deeper.

He walked over and squatted down, prying the truck out of his son’s hand. As he began to lift the boy off of Derek, Derek himself startled awake, instinctively tightening his hold on Colin.

“Shh, it’s ok. I’m just putting him to bed,” Stiles whispered. Derek, still ninety percent asleep just nodded as he set aside the snake and rolled over to get up when Stiles lifted the boy off of him. Stiles carried Colin upstairs to his room, not bothering with pajamas or brushing teeth. He pulled the covers down and slid the boy in, then tucked them back up around his chin. “Night night tiger,” he whispered, kissing Colin on the cheek. He walked back out, flipping on the night-light before closing his door part way.

When he headed back down to the den Derek was cleaning up the pizza box and dishes.

“Shit, sorry about the mess, I’ll clean it up,” he said as Stiles came in.

Stiles just snorted at him. “Dude, leave it. We can deal with it in the morning. I’m sorry I was so late, I didn’t plan on it taking that long. Stay the night?” Stiles gave Derek puppy dog eyes that he knew the man couldn’t resist. Derek just laughed at him. “Sure, if you’re ok with it. I feel like it’s two in the morning. What time is it?”

“It’s only quarter to nine.” Derek was surprised, he thought it was much later. “Wow, it’s early. Colin wore me out I guess.”

Stiles had already removed his jacket and belt, placing his sidearm in a lock box and back on to a shelf out of the reach of little hands. “Come on, let’s go snuggle in bed. It may be early, but I’m tired, and I feel a serious need to octopus myself around you.”  Derek followed him upstairs to the bedroom and they both stripped down to their boxers and climbed into bed. Stiles grabbed the remote and began to channel surf before settling on a re-run of The Big Bang Theory. He told Derek a little bit about the case, and Derek filled him in on the escapades of Derek and Colin.

Derek leaned in and kissed Stiles. “Thanks for letting me watch him, we had a lot of fun together. I hope I can do it again.” Stiles smiled and warned him about wishing for things, that you might just get them. He wiggled himself into Derek’s side, his head resting against the crook of Derek’s neck and Derek’s arm wrapped around him. It wasn’t long before both were sound asleep.

 

* * *

 

The next morning Stiles arrived at the station after seeing Colin off to school. He was hoping to have gotten some hits on the websites he’d been on last night. He nodded to various people as he walked in and headed towards the back of the station, two cups of hot coffee from the local spot in his hands. He skirted through the various desks to the office in the back where he knocked quickly before walking in, holding the cup out in front of him.

“Oh thank god, I need this,” the sheriff said, greedily grabbing the cup and inhaling the sweet, yet bitter, aroma of fresh-brewed coffee. Stiles watched his dad’s eyes lower to half-mast as he took his first sip, and could swear he saw some of the tension leave his shoulders.

“Dude, pop, it’s barely eight in the morning, how are you already so stressed?” Stiles asked as he slid into one of the chairs, sipping his own cup of goodness, heavily laden with sugar.

His dad sighed as he turned his chair towards his son, taking another sip. “Last night was awful. I think I got home sometime around one a.m. We ended up with six fatalities. The paperwork alone is horrendous. But fill me in on your case.”

Stiles broke down the details of the crime scene from yesterday, telling him what he’d found, including the stalled questioning of the wife and grand-daughter. His father had agreed there seemed to be more to it than met the eye, and that their odd behavior meant something was probably going on. He also told him about trying to translate the labels and how he was hoping there were some replies waiting for him to his post on the forum.

They spent a few more minutes getting caught up before Stiles headed out of his dad’s office and back into the main room. He saw Jackson standing around, looking full of himself as usual. A few other deputies were hanging around as well, getting coffee and whatnot.

“So I see daddy’s boy gets his own case. Think you’re up for it Stilinski?” Jackson said snarkily, although Stiles figured he was trying to hide his jealousy behind the snark.

“Oh I’m sure I’ll be able to handle it Whittmore,” he replied, not wanting to engage the other man. Jackson had always had it in for Stiles, despite Stiles trying to give him a wide berth. He wasn’t interested in getting into a pissing contest with the man. Stiles had better things to do than cater to Whittmore’s ego.

“You’re just jealous Whittmore”, someone called out.

Jackson turned to whoever had said it, a glare on his face. “Why the fuck would I be jealous of Stilinski?” he spat.

“Probably because A – you’ve never been given the lead on anything, and B – Stiles’ll have this figured out quickly,” came the response, Stiles noticing it came from Graham. He smiled to himself, enjoying the support from his co-workers.

“Pfft, as if,” Jackson muttered before storming off to his desk.

Stiles drank more of his coffee as he booted up his system and pulled out the case file to rifle through it as he waited. When his homescreen finally came up he decided to push off checking emails and whatnot and immediately pulled up his browser, typing in the URL for the translation forum. He’d gotten nowhere with the other site, so he was hoping for some luck. He logged in to the forum and was happy to see he had a couple of replies already.

He pulled up his thread and saw he had two replies, and both seemed to say the same thing.

_< CaptAmerica 7:58pmPST> I was hoping someone could give me the English translation on these characters for me. They were pulled off of jars of herbs. Any help is greatly appreciated!_

_< images attached>_

_< Pikachu 04:13amPST> Definitely herbs. Here you go:_

_#1 Tiger Penis_

_#2 Rhino Horn_

_#3 Croton Seed_

_#4 Hard to confirm since it looks like label ripped, but think it’s birthwort_

The rest of the translations were for various common herbs like lavender, cardomon seeds and the like. But the labels for the bottles in the safe seemed unusual, so he decided to read up on their uses. He read several various websites, reading some of it off out loud to himself.

_…tiger penis is used to treat erectile dysfunction…rhino horn cools the blood, whatever the hell that means, and both are very illegal. That explains why they were locked away. Probably also why the wife wouldn’t answer my question. Other two seemed to be highly toxic…”_

Stiles printed out a copy of the replies and decided he needed to question the wife again. If it was an illegal substance that had been taken, he needed to find out what it was. He looked up the contact information for the grand-daughter and then called her, asking to meet with both her and Mrs. Chin. When she told Stiles they could meet now, Stiles got up and grabbed his file folder and ran out to his cruiser, letting the receptionist know where he was headed.

As he ran out Jackson came walking over past Stiles’ desk and realizing his browser was still open, looked at it.

“Tiger penis? Fucking weirdo. Probably can’t get it up,” Jackson snorted, laughing at his own quip as he went over to his desk to pretend to work.

Stiles pulled up to the small, but nicely maintained house on a quiet street. Most of the homes appeared to be older and on the smaller side. A couple of houses had bikes in the driveways, and a lot of them had baskets of shoes just outside the front doors. Stiles was guessing this probably a mostly Asian neighborhood as he walked up to the door and knocked.

“Good morning Miss Xian, thank you for seeing me on such short notice,” Stiles said when the door was opened.

He was led inside to a kitchen where he was offered some hot tea. He politely declined, wanting to get down to business.

“Mrs. Chin, I really need your help. I’ve translated the labels on these jars, and I know what they are and that they’re illegal substances. Honestly, I’m not interested in charging you for having them. I’m more concerned with what was in the missing bottle, and if it was stolen yesterday. I know you know what was there, and I’m hoping you’ll be willing to tell me. I have a feeling whatever it was is important.”

Stiles tried to give the old woman his best pleading, sad puppy dog eyes, hoping she would cooperate.  The young woman translated Stiles’ words to her grandmother, and they went back and forth for a second.

The young woman turned back to Stiles, and in a remarkably accent-free voice asked, “you promise you won’t charge her for possession of an illegal substance?”

Stiles raised an eyebrow at her, silently telling her, “well played with the ‘barely speak English’ routine”. All of a sudden the young woman had gone from playing dumb to looking and sounding amazingly sharp.

“I promise. And if it leads me to finding out who did this to your grandfather, I would think you would want to tell me.”

Xian looked to her grandmother one more time, and at a curt nod from the older woman, she turned back. “Yes the missing bottle must have been taken. They were all accounted for up until yesterday. It held aconite lycoctonum. We keep them in a safe since they are illegal, but still highly sought after for their medicinal uses.”

Stiles made notes in the file as she spoke. “Do you know why someone would take that bottle, over any of the others?” The woman shook her head, she had no idea who would want it nor why. Stiles thanked the ladies and let himself out, wanting to head back to the station and look up this new name.

When he got back to the station he was flagged down by Mitchell.

“Hey, just heard that CSI found a hidden camera in that back room. They were able to pull a recording from it, it should already be in your email for you.”

Stiles couldn’t hide his surprise at the news, he’d seen no sign of a camera system anywhere in the store, not even covering the register area like most stores had. He felt his nerves dance, hoping that maybe there was something on there that would help.

He got back to his desk and debated for a second before looking up the name the woman had given him. He typed it in to Google, reading the entry.

_“…also known as monkshood or wolfsbane, highly poisonous, used for hunting…why the hell would anyone want this? What purpose does it serve? Used to treat heart conditions, but highly toxic…”_

It honestly didn’t add up to Stiles, why someone would want this. He finished reading and then closed his browser out and instead opened his email. He scanned through tons of unread emails until he found the one from CSI tech Singleton and quickly opened it.

_“Footage from crime scene, there’s a few seconds of activity on it before it shuts off.”_

Stiles clicked on the attached file and waited for it to load. He may be a California Sheriff’s deputy in the 21st century, but he was fairly certain their computer system was circa 1970. When it finally opened Stiles hit the play button and watched his screen.

He saw the victim pushed into the picture from somewhere off screen and down into the chair. An absolutely massive man had gripped him and quickly secured him to the chair. Unfortunately there was no sound and the video seemed static. The man was speaking in a manner that implied he was scared and possibly begging, to someone off screen. The large man had stood behind him, and when Stiles leaned in, hoping to get a better look at his face, it seemed like a line of static went right over his face, obscuring it. There was a few more minutes of wild gesturing with his head as the victim continued to speak, occasionally being smacked around by the big guy behind him. Finally at one point the victim let his head fall down and it seemed like he slumped. He may have said something as the big guy looked up to the person off screen, then turned around and began knocking bottles off of the lower shelves. He eventually found the false shelf and Stiles was amazed when he yanked it open with one hand. The big guy turned around and said something, maybe asking which bottle to take, before turning back and grabbing the jar. He stood and handed the jar off screen where it disappeared, then went back to standing behind the victim. He had lifted his head and it looked like he was crying now when a third figure appeared in front of him. Unfortunately he had his back to the camera, so Stiles had no way of seeing his face unless he turned. The man turned again to walk off, still not showing his face, but Stiles caught sight of what looked like an old fashioned walking cane. The big man suddenly yanked the victim’s head back by his hair, and just as the screen went crazy with static Stiles could’ve sworn he saw a clawed hand rip across the man’s throat.

* * *

 

Deucalion watched as crates were loaded into the warehouse, quickly and efficiently. He had developed a tight crew over the years, weeding out the ones that he found useless until he had just the right people working for him. He prided himself on his team, they were well paid and happy to keep their loyalty to Deucalion. Of course most knew what happened to those whose loyalty faltered.

They had moved into the warehouse late last night, just outside a small town. Duke normally liked to avoid small towns as it was easier to be noticed. But Beacon Hills was worth the risk. It had been almost endgame for him, as Beacon Hills had the one thing no other city or town had, The Source. And The Source was what he needed to fulfill his vision. Without it, everything he had done so far was pointless.

He had done his homework on this little slice of California. The great thing about small towns was small town law enforcement. Beacon Hills had a small Sheriff’s department and not a lot of money or manpower, which usually meant low technology. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe he was dealing with Mayberry type cops, but he had lack of resources on his side. Large departments had money and manpower to go after people like Deucalion. So he would still play it smart, but he couldn’t help the smug feeling that he would be able to pull this off and not worry about some Barney Fife coming after him.

What did surprise him was finding the strain of wolfsbane at the shop owned by the Chinaman. Wolfsbane was hard enough to get ahold of, but to get that particular species had upped his time table considerably due to the potency of it. He would be able to make the final result even more powerful, and that made a shiver of excitement flow through him. Soon, soon he would finish and he would be the most powerful being in the world.

* * *

 

“Hey Stilinski, you having troubles getting it up or something?”

Stiles, who had been deep into his work, looked up confused. Jackson stood there, hip on desk, looking at Stiles like he was gum on the bottom of his shoe.

“Do what now?” Stiles asked, wondering if Jackson ever did any actual work, and why the hell his father had hired him. Jackson made a point of looking around the station and raising his voice.

“You know, I figured you were limp-dicked, and that’s why you were looking up weird faggoty herbs like tiger penis.” Jackson made a snorting noise while looking at the deputies who had looked up from their own work.

Stiles for his part sat back in his chair, looking at the man in front of him. “Were you not loved enough or something as a kid? I think if anyone has any performance problems in here it’s you. I’m fairly certain douche bags who act like you do are trying to make up for having small dicks.” Stiles replied deadpanned, showing no emotion before promptly dismissing the jackass in front of him and going back to his work, internally fist-pumping himself as he heard the others snickering and calling Jackson out on his being an ass. The problem was that Jackson never really did anything overt enough to warrant a write up, although the homophobic slur he just used might be useful. Honestly though, Stiles was more interested in doing his job than getting into it with the idiot. Jackson had had it out for Stiles since day one for some reason.

Right now he just wanted to make progress on his murder case. He was currently stalled and had been for the last couple of days. He was beginning to get frustrated. He kept at it though and when his grumbling stomach finally broke through and registered to him just how hungry he was, he decided to take a break and eat. Maybe an hour away from it would freshen his eyes and brain up.

He hopped up from his desk and went to look for his partner. He’d ask his dad but he was currently out of the station on some kind of business. He found Jordan in the copy room copying reports.

“Hey Parrish, wanna blow out for an hour and grab lunch?”

Jordan looked up with a look like Stiles was his personal savior. “Shit yeah, if I have to make one more goddamn copy I’m gonna scream like a little girl.” He grabbed the papers off the tray and tossed them onto the table, not even looking back as he went back out to his own desk and grabbed his jacket. “Where do you want to go? I’ll eat anything, I’m starved.”

Stiles just laughed. He loved having Jordan as a partner. The man was easy going, laid back, and just an all-around nice guy. Stiles had never had a bad moment with the man, and even better he’d never resented being partnered with the ‘sheriff’s kid’. Add to that the fact that he trusted his back to Jordan and it made for a great partnership.

“Uh, how about Georgies? They have everything there,” Stiles offered as they headed out to the Explorer. Jordan nodded happily at that, knowing he could get pizza or a sandwich there, and he knew Stiles would marry their curly fries if it was legal to do so. They jumped into the SUV while Stiles radioed in to dispatch that they were going 10-7 to get lunch, as well as their location. He pulled out of the lot and the two men wasted no time in badmouthing Jackson together. Jordan hated Jackson almost as much as Stiles did and wanted nothing more than to see him either off the force or transferred. Stiles had never asked his dad about him, not wanting to abuse the relationship of father/son and sheriff/deputy, but maybe he would.

He found a place to park not too far from the eatery, even though he could technically park illegally and cite the need to keep the cruiser close by, but he opted not to. They hopped out and Stiles locked and armed the car and they began to walk up the street. They chatted about various things when Stiles noticed Jordan stiffen, nodding his head in greeting at someone. When he looked he saw a couple walking towards them, the woman giving Jordan a knowing look as she smiled seductively at him.

“Hello deputies,” she purred, her voice stilting for a split second as they came up next to Stiles and then kept going. Stiles couldn’t help but look over his shoulder at the two, and saw both looking over their shoulders, the man narrowing his eyes. Stiles looked at the man, thinking he seemed familiar, but honestly the woman kept his attention. He thought he heard the man ask, ‘did you smell that?’ but wasn’t really paying attention. Jordan had looked over his shoulder as well.

“What the hell was up with that?” Stiles laughed. A lot of people said hi to deputies on the streets. As a rule they were well liked, no one ever hesitated to say hi or talk to members of the department. But this had seemed rather weird.

“Jesus Christ, I just ogled that woman and I totally couldn’t help myself,” Jordan chuckled. “She was gorgeous. Did you see those legs? Whew.”

Stiles grinned as he walked up to the door and held it open, ushering his partner in. “After you Romeo.” After they ordered and sat down Stiles couldn’t help but kick Jordan in the shin.

“What a quandary now dude, I thought you were hot after Tara? Whatcha gonna do loverboy, huh?” Stiles loved to tease Jordan, and this was prime grade material here. Jordan just blushed as he drank some of his soda. “Naw man, that huge ass guy was probably her husband. But she was seriously hot.”

The waitress brought their food over a few minutes later and the two of them ate their lunch, pizza for Jordan and a roast beef sub sandwich with mandatory curly fries for Stiles. They took their time, opting to take the full hour allotted to them. If something came up dispatch would radio them.

“So I think I finally got somewhere on the Chin case. I got some of those labels translated, seems our good shop owner was selling illegal herbs and animal parts as part of Chinese medicine. I finally got the grand-daughter, who, by the way, dropped her recent immigrant act and sounds like a freaking Oxford grad, to tell me what was taken. Turns out whoever offed the old man took a jar of an herb called wolfsbane. You ever hear of it? Can’t figure out why anyone would go to the trouble of killing someone for it.”

When Jordan choked on the food in his mouth, Stiles slapped him on the back, telling him to slow down. Jordan grabbed his napkin and wiped his mouth, trying to suck in air. When he could finally breathe again he answered. “Shit, sorry, guess I’m so hungry I’m eating too fast. Um, no. Wolfsbane? Never heard of it. What’s it used for?”

Stiles shrugged, telling him he had no idea, but he would keep looking in to it. “Probably just a coincidence. I bet there was another safe for something that was missed and that’s what they were after. Like you said, who kills for a bottle of herbs?” Jordan asked, taking another bite of his sandwich, more slowly this time. “I’d look for something like a missing safe.”

After they finished they headed back out and returned to the station. Stiles had indeed seemed to recharge his batteries and felt ready to tackle his case again. Jordan had made his way back into the copy room. After a few minutes Stiles realized Jordan had paid for lunch and Stiles owed him. He hopped up from his desk and headed to the copy room while pulling bills from his pocket.

“…may be a problem, may not, but I figured you needed to know…”

Stiles pulled up, money in his hands when he saw Jordan talking in a hushed voice on his cell phone. When Jordan saw Stiles he quickly ended the call, shoving the phone back into his pocket.

“Hey what’s up?” Jordan asked.

Stiles looked at his partner, he seemed nervous. “Um, just realized I didn’t give you my portion of lunch, sooo, here you go.” He handed Jordan the money, but hesitated. “Is everything ok?”

Jordan looked up and smiled, shoving the money into another pocket. “What? Oh yeah, no, I was just talking to my mom. Nothing big.”

Stiles gave him a two finger salute and left, heading back to his desk. He was able to get a couple more hours of work in before heading out on patrol. One of the deputies who was supposed to be patrolling called out suddenly, saying he was feeling sick and needed to go home. Stiles was getting nowhere with his case so he volunteered to take over, after decidedly **not** having to twist his partner’s arm to leave the copying once again.

Stiles had parked them at a sweet spot on the highway where a small hill in the pavement made it easy to hide in plain sight at the bottom. Motorists would crest the hill and by the time they saw the cruiser it was too late. It was right on the border of the town and usually resulted in some citations.

Stiles had just gotten back in to the Explorer after pulling a car full of twenty somethings doing eighty in a sixty zone when the light bulb went off.

“Fuck!” He slammed the steering wheel, making Jordan jump up, startled out of his nap.

“What’s wrong?!” He asked, panicked that something was going down.

Stiles looked at his partner. “I know where I saw that guy. I knew he seemed familiar!”

“What guy? What the hell are you going on about?” Jordan rubbed his eyes, yawning when he realized there was no emergency.

“That big ass guy we saw today at lunch. You were eyeballing the woman. I thought he’d seemed familiar and it’s because I’ve seen him before! I’m almost positive he’s the guy on the video feed from the herb store. I think he was the one that killed the owner.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is so short, but i wanted it to post separately from the next chapter.

“Stiles, hold on a second, don’t you think you should take this up to your dad, the sheriff? You can’t go off half-cocked.”

Jordan was trying to keep up with his partner as the man high-tailed it into the station, set on pursuing his idea.

“Dude, Jordan are you serious? I saw that guy on the video, he’s the one. I have to find him.”

Stiles had raced back to the station, barely putting the Explorer in park before scrambling out of it and back inside. He got to his desk where he booted up his system, fidgeting and bouncing his legs while he waited for it finish loading up.

“Come on, come on,” he chanted. His partner stood in front, looking worried.

“Stiles, you need to slow down, take your information to the Sheriff before you do anything stupid. I really don’t think you should just run with this.”

Stiles couldn’t help but look up as the Windows 10 screen finally popped up but that damn icon was still circling, round and round and round. “Parrish, what the hell man. I finally get a break and it’s like you don’t want me to run with it, what gives?” Stiles was torn between wondering at his partner’s behavior and getting irritated with him. All the way back to the station, as Stiles recounted the case and what he had seen on the video, Parrish had been telling him to wait, to not do anything yet. And honestly, if Stiles didn’t know any better, he’d think his partner was looking almost guilty in front of him.

“No, it’s not that. I just, I just don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all.”

Stiles sat back in his chair, getting it now. “Oh I see, let me guess, crazy, spastic Stiles, sheriff’s kid who thinks he owns the place, is going to run in head first and get himself killed.” When Jordan looked at him, guilt all over his face and now obvious, Stiles did get angry. “You know what? I’ve heard it all before. Mostly from Dickmore, but yeah, he’s not the only one. I may be the sheriff’s kid but goddamnit I worked hard to get here. I wasn’t handed my badge on a silver platter, I worked for it and earned it. And while I may have been the crazy kid who got into trouble, I’d like to think I’ve outgrown that. So fuck off and let me work. I don’t need you trying to protect me, or probably you’re trying to protect your own ass.” And with that Stiles went back to pulling up the video feed from the herb store, making still shots of the man’s face and sending them to the printer.

Jordan, shocked from Stiles’ outburst, turned and left, not saying another word, his anger rising. “Shut the fuck up Whittmore!” Stiles yelled when he saw Jackson snort and laugh as he made a phone call.

Stiles took a minute to calm down, then looked up when he saw his partner storm off to the supply room in the back of the station, and got up to follow. He wasn’t sure what the deal with Jordan was, but had to admit to himself he had been pretty harsh. He didn’t want to jeopardize not only his partnership, but his friendship, with the man, so he went after to him to apologize.

As he came to the room he could hear Jordan on the phone, talking quietly, but animatedly. He couldn’t help but hang back and listen when what his partner was saying caught his attention.

“I’ve _been_ trying to steer him away, but he’s like a dog with a bone.”

“Yes, I know. And I told you I’d pass on whatever I could, but he’s my partner, and my friend, and I don’t want him hurt.”

“Yes. Yes, I understand Alpha.”

There was a long sigh and the sound of the phone being shut off. Stiles quickly turned and raced back to his desk, shock and confusion setting in. Was his partner intentionally trying to mess up his case? What the hell was an alpha? What was going on? Jesus Christ, he thought, alpha, like _The Alpha_? Stiles felt his blood run cold. Was Jordan corrupt? Working with whoever killed the Chinese shop owner? If it was the same person as The Alpha, that meant he was part of some kind of murderous gang killing its way down the state.

He sat there at his desk, refusing to look up when Jordan walked past him, his hands nervously fidgeting under the desk. He felt almost sick, not knowing what to do. He needed to think, to sort through everything before he moved forward. He wasn’t even sure if he should talk to his dad, either as his father or as the Sheriff, because let’s be honest, it would be one in the same in a case like this. He was barely able to finish his shift as his thoughts ran the gamut as to how his partner fit in with his murder case and the drug gang. When the hour finally, blissfully, rang the end of his shift he jumped up, threw his jacket on and left the station, not saying goodbye to anyone, especially his partner.

Head down he trudged quickly into the police lot to the Explorer, pulling his keys out and hitting the button to unlock it. He just wanted to get home, have a beer and let his mind work in the relative quiet of his home. He wished Derek was off tonight because he was strongly considering using him as a sounding board. As he reached for the door handle he suddenly saw stars, followed by the most intense pain he’d ever experienced in his life. As he fell forward into the car door and slid down, everything went black before his face smacked into the pavement.


	9. Chapter 9

Derek was leaning against the nurses’ station counter bantering with a couple of nurses. The E.R. had been quiet, and it was one of the few nights when he was on-call as trauma surgeon. It’d been painfully boring to be honest, the only excitement had been a teenage boy who thought he’d be cool and show off to his friends by riding his bike off the roof of his house, presumably with the intention of landing in the pool. Unfortunately the young man had missed the pool by two feet and was now sporting dual leg casts all the way up to his waist. He wasn’t looking so cool now covered in plaster with a cut-out so he could go to the bathroom in a bed pan. His parents, after being told he would recover, had gone from terrified to furious and were currently berating the kid for being so stupid. The kid had been lucky, but Derek could only laugh. Inwardly of course, he wasn’t about to invite the parent’s wrath.

Derek was lucky enough to be on-call with his two favorite nurses, Erica, and Isaac. He’d known Isaac since he’d moved back home and had immediately taken to the young man. He was quiet, shy, but loyal as hell and a damn good nurse. As they lounged around joking with each other Derek heard a call come in through their station dispatch.

“Beacon Hills Memorial, this is BHSD, we have an incoming 10-00, officer down. Condition critical. Please be alert for arrival by EMS unit.”

Derek immediately went on alert, ordering the nurse on the radio to get as many details as possible, he wanted to know what he was dealing with. He called his support team to him, giving them a rundown of what was coming in.

They grabbed a gurney and got gloved up as they raced out to the emergency room doors to await the ambulance. It was only a couple of minutes before Derek could hear the sirens, and shortly after he saw the lights of the unit as it came screaming up to the bay doors.

“Everyone on deck, look alive people! We have an officer in critical condition!” Derek yelled to his team. The ambulance had barely stopped when the back doors were thrown open and the medics were racing out to pull the gurney out. In the back of his mind Derek could hear police cruisers racing up to the hospital as well, but he wasn’t interested in them.

The medics pulled the gurney out and began reading off vitals as Derek’s team moved in and they raced the gurney into the ER.

“Patient is a male, thirty four. GSW to the abdomen, thoracic trauma. BP is 60 over 40, heartrate 47. Coded twice enroute…”

Derek listened with a well-practiced ear to the medic reciting the vitals as he took in the sight of the man in the gurney. He saw the Sheriff’s uniform, covered in blood. The shirt had been opened to expose the trauma to the chest region. A neck brace had been put on with the head inside of the orange foam immobilizer to protect the spine. The face was swollen and bloodied. As they raced down the hallway towards the O.R.  Derek barked out orders to his team. As they rounded the corner the deputy’s shirt flapped and the gold name tag caught Derek’s eye and Derek felt the bottom of his stomach drop out and he went light-headed.

‘S.Stilinski’

“Oh Jesus, shitshitshitshit, no,” he quietly screamed. The gurney was shoved into the O.R., the medics stopping there and letting their charge disappear inside. Erica had grabbed Derek and pushed him into the room to quickly get him gloved. There was no time for proper washing up. “Derek!” she yelled at him, making him snap to attention. “What the fuck man, what’s wrong?!” Erica was quickly getting him gowned and gloved.

“It’s Stiles,” he choked out. He shook his head, he HAD to focus. His nurses were moving Stiles onto the operating table, re-hooking the machines to the hospital’s so that the portables could be returned to the medics. “Erica, get the crew in here,” Derek ordered. Erica nodded sharply and got to work.

The nurses had quickly cut off the remaining bits of uniform and had gotten Stiles draped. Derek could hear the heart monitor going crazy as he did a quick scan of his torso. “We have a gun shot wound to the lower abdomen, and puncture marks, or tearing of some kind to the thoracic region.”

“Oxygen levels are dropping rapidly”

“Get him intubated!”

“Scalpel!”

Derek grabbed the scalpel as it was slapped into his hand. Stiles, no, _the patient_ , had been already been introduced with anesthesia but there was no time to wait for it to completely kick in. Derek made an incision into the chest, deciding to tackle the bullet wound last. It terms of severity it was lower than the mess of chest in front of him. Derek could tell from the position of the wounds that if they went as deep as he thought they did, then the heart had been damaged. It was everything he could do to keep his focus, to not see Stiles’ face. Despite the mass of tubes, draping, and blood, his face was much too visible.

“Erica, get me the rib cutters, I need to get to the heart,” he said, enlarging the incision to access the sternum. When Erica handed him the large cutters he began to cut through the sternum and ribs, removing the bone and opening the chest cavity. He heard Erica mutter, “holy shit” as she took in the mess.

Derek could feel his own heart shutter at the sight. The chances of survival with this kind of damage was slim. Derek heard the monitor alarms begin blaring as someone shouted.

“He’s in Vfib!” Derek refused to look at the monitor as he yelled for the internal defibrillator. Placing the paddles on the heart directly he yelled out the level of charge, then yelled “Clear!”

“No change!”

“Charge it to 360, clear!”

“Still in Vfib”

“Again! Dammit Stiles, come on! Clear!”

After a pause, “we have a steady pulse!”

Derek quickly handed the paddles off to whoever was standing next to him. “Forceps,” he ordered. As they slapped into his hand he began to clamp off bleeders, calling for suction so that he could see what he was working with. There was definitely a lot of damage to the heart tissue. Calling for retractors he carefully pulled tissue back. “OK, we’ve got to close these off, sutures please,” he asked. Erica, who he hadn’t realized had been standing next to him, handed him the needle holder and suture. Derek began to stitch up the many, many damaged veins. When he stitched up four of them he removed a retractor and was suddenly met with arterial spray. “Shit, clamp!” When he had moved a piece of tissue he had uncovered a severed artery. The alarms sounded again and Derek swore.

“He’s crashing again!”

“Blood pressure is dropping doctor.”

Derek called out again, “get me paddles, charge to 360, Isaac, push some epi.” Isaac quickly injected the epinephrine as Erica handed Derek the paddles. Derek called clear, then shocked Stiles’ heart. Three times it took before they could get a steady rhythm again. Derek was refusing to think he may not succeed, it just was not an option.

Derek was trying, but failing, to clamp off everything that was bleeding, and way, way back in his head, to the part of his consciousness he tried to ignore, he knew he was fighting a losing battle. But he couldn’t give up, not on the man he’d fallen in love with, whose son he’d fallen in love with. What the hell would happen to Colin if Stiles died?

“Erica, help me close off these off, I, shit, there’s too many, I can’t get to them fast enough.” Erica didn’t question him as she began to suture, two pairs of hands bloodied inside the chest cavity of the man Derek refused to lose.

“Pressure’s dropping again”

“Doctor, he’s asystole,” came a quiet murmur. Derek looked up at the monitor, taking in the line on the monitor. His hands stilled, and all he could do was look at the flat line moving across the screen. Erica looked from the monitor to Derek, her eyes watering. “Derek,” she called, but the man didn’t move. She grabbed his arm, shaking him. “Derek!”

Derek looked at her, but his eyes were haunted, closing off. “I lost him Erica,” he whispered. Erica shook her head, “No, not yet. Derek look at me, you can still save him.” Derek looked at her blankly, and when the nurse suddenly reached back and slapped him, leaving a blood smeared mark across his masked face and causing the other nurses to gasp in surprise, he finally focused on her.

“Derek! Get a hold of yourself and think of Colin!” She yelled at him.

“Fuck, fuckfuckfuck. You’re right.” Derek began to massage the heart with his hands, trying to keep as much blood flow going as possible.

He looked up, eyes clear, knowing what he had to do. “Erica, clear the O.R. Isaac, get on the phone to Scott, get him up here.” Without questioning Derek both nurses jumped to do his bidding. Erica began pushing nurses and techs out of the O.R., despite their protests, giving them a made up story to get them to leave. Isaac came back in, nodding at Derek.

“Isaac, help me out. We need to get that bullet out now, I need you to do it so that I can keep massaging the heart. Erica, turn off the damn monitors,” he said when she had come back in. “On it Derek. O.R. is secured, you’re clear.” Erica hurried over and began removing the foam immobilizer and neck brace from Stiles.

Still massaging Derek looked up, “Erica pull my mask off.” Once off, hands still buried deep inside Stiles’ chest, Derek let his eyes bleed crimson and fangs emerge before quickly bending down and sinking his fangs deep into the neck of his boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So i was kind of hoping for the very end to be a "reveal" of sorts. Not sure if it worked, lol. I also researched the hell out of the medical part of this, but if anyone notices something totally wrong let me know.
> 
> I found a great blog from a doctor who is also an author who says he HATES is when people write about shocking a flatline, and how you never shock a flatline, lol.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A confrontation between Derek and the Sheriff gets ugly in the hospital.

Stiles felt like he was floating, and honestly it felt good. He wasn’t sure where he was, hell, was he even alive? If not, well it felt better than he expected death to feel. He couldn’t see anything, but his body felt weightless, drifting. He was warm and despite the lack of sight, found that he felt safe. As he welcomed that feeling though, he suddenly began to panic. Where was his son? Was Colin ok? If he was indeed dead, what would happen to his little boy? His dad was no spring chicken, sure he could take care of him for a little while, but what happened when his father became unable to care for him? And Derek, oh my god, it figures, Stiles thought. He finds a man he can love, and who loves him back, only to lose him right in the beginning.  It wasn’t fair damnit! Stiles was a good man! He took good care of his son, raised him right. He protected his town and never abused his power as a deputy. As he felt his anger and fear gather around him he was suddenly surrounded by peace, almost as if hands were caressing him, telling him it was ok. It took a minute, but Stiles felt his body and mind settle and he let the feeling of peace envelop him again. He let himself drift once again, mind going blank as he floated off.

* * *

 

“Derek, are you ok?” Derek looked up from his spot in the recovery room. He hadn’t moved since they had quickly wheeled Stiles in. Scott stood there, still in the same scrubs from the day before. He’d raced over when Isaac had called, helping to mitigate the disaster of what had just happened late last night in the operating room.

“Am I ok? Not even close,” he said quietly. Scott came over, wanting to comfort his friend. “God damn Scott, what the fuck did I do?” Derek almost looked close to tears as he stood vigil over Stiles. “Not only did I just do something so utterly beyond stupid in terms of outing us, but I just created a _beta without consent_. An alpha just doesn’t fucking do that!”

Scott nuzzled into Derek, scenting him in order to provide not only comfort, but a sense of calm to his alpha. “Derek, you did the right thing. Erica has the publicity part of this already handled, no one saw anything. The pack is safe. She’s come up with a good story for you clearing out the O.R. the way you did. As for consent, Derek, you saved his life. You saved the life of the only parent a sweet four year old boy has. And since I know you well, you are probably blaming yourself for letting your personal feelings dictate whether you turned him or not. And you know what? Who cares? You saved his life, you made it so Colin gets to keep his dad. The pack is completely behind you on this Derek. We’re all here for you man.”

Derek took in a shuddering breath, letting the tears slip down. Next to Erica Scott was his next closest friend, and he felt safe enough around him to let some weakness show. “The bite could’ve killed him,” he said.

“Stiles was dead either way Derek. Erica gave me the run down of his injuries. He was never going to survive a gutting by another wolf. And in the unlikely chance he did? He would’ve been brain dead at best.”

Derek let himself nod at Scott’s words. The logical part of him knew it was true, Stiles was dead no matter what. But trying to reconcile that with the circumstances was hard. No Hale alpha had ever turned a beta without consent before. Only rogues did that. Not to mention doing it in a public place like a hospital, he put his pack in tremendous danger. God, what his mother must think of him. She’s probably rolling in her grave in disappointment at him. The feeling that he let not only his pack down, but his family memory and the Hale name was turning out to be a very bitter pill to swallow.

“I did let them interfere, Scott,” Derek whispered. “I let my emotions dictate my actions.” He stared down at his hands, still dirty with blood that had worked its way in around the gloves. He looked up, trying to face his third in command. “He’s my mate, and I let that dictate my actions in there.”

Scott couldn’t help the smile that lit his face. “I knew it. Deep down I knew it! Fuck Derek, do you know how rare that is?” Scott hugged Derek hard. Finding a true mate was rare in modern times. But before he could rejoice in his alpha’s words, Derek pushed him off.

“It doesn’t matter how rare it is! Because once again I’ve managed to fuck this up!” Derek spat out the words in a whispered yell. “Jesus, he doesn’t even know what I am, that our kind exist. He’s completely in the dark about our world, and here I’ve gone and made him a part of it. When he wakes up and finds out what he is he’s going to take his son and run. Or put a bullet between my eyes!”

As Derek paced Stiles began to struggle on the gurney. He was still unconscious but he was clearly agitated, his body moving around. Derek quickly moved over to him, running his hands over him to calm him. The transition wasn’t nearly complete, but Derek figured enough of his wolf should be there to sense its alpha’s presence and begin to calm. Stiles’ new-found healing abilities hadn’t quite kicked in either and Derek didn’t want him ripping open any of the wounds they had painstakingly repaired last night. There had been too much damage to leave and hope that his wolf would be able to heal them all.

Stiles began to calm under Derek’s ministrations until he went completely still again, and Derek couldn’t help but lean in and nuzzle him, letting his wolf scent his mate and new beta. Hell, it may be the only time he gets to it. “Please don’t hate me Stiles,” he whispered, quietly enough that Scott wouldn’t hear it.

“We need to get the pack together and discuss our next step.” Derek said as he pulled back from his mate.

“Derek, hey uh, we may have a problem.” Erica had stuck her head in and Derek could feel the anxiety coming off of her.

“What’s going on? Are we compromised?” He asked? Shit, if he got his pack hurt over this…

“No, it’s the sheriff. He’s pissed and spitting nails. He’s out in the waiting area demanding to see you.”

“Fuck, ok. I have no idea where this going…” Derek began, but both Scott and Erica cut him off.

“Derek, the pack is here, we’ve got your back. Come on, let’s go see what’s going on. Isaac is out there already trying to keep him calm,” Erica said.

Derek nodded, unable to stop the nerves from hitting him. He had no idea what he was walking into, whether the sheriff was concerned about the status of his son, or something else. He had told a nurse to contact him and give the sheriff a status on Stiles’ condition around 4am this morning.

He took a solidifying breath and headed out, Scott and Erica following behind him. He marched down the hallway and pushed open the doors, striding down to the waiting area. As he stepped into the room he saw the Sheriff and Deputy Parrish arguing about something. Parrish had a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm the older man down. When he saw Derek, the Sheriff promptly drew his firearm and pointed it straight at Derek.

Derek stopped dead in his tracks, hands up in front of him. Erica and Scott had done the same, and Derek saw other people in the area, probably waiting on loved ones, scurry away into the corners.

 “What the hell did you do to my son Hale?” The Sheriff demanded, voice wavering slightly with emotion. “Did you do this? Did he know you were wrapped up in something and you targeted him?” The pure, unadulterated rage pouring off the man was overwhelming.

“Sheriff, I honest to god have no idea what you’re saying,” Derek said lowly, hands still up. John’s eyes burned with anger as he strode up to Derek, aim never wavering, while with the other hand slapping a piece of paper onto Derek’s chest.

“You going to try and tell me you know nothing about this Hale?” He spat. Derek had caught the paper John slapped on him and looked down to read it.

“ **Your little pet is too curious for his own good. Curiosity killed the cat. And in this case, the human. Unless you want to see his pup hanging from our claws as well, you keep your pitiful little pack on a leash. Stay out of our way Hale, or else.”**

Derek looked up, eyes wide. Erica reached around and took the sheet so she and Scott could read it. He saw Parrish standing there, looking pale as he stared at his feet, refusing to meet Derek’s eyes.

“That – That was attached to my son with a dagger,” the Sheriff let out a sob, “when they threw his body out of a car in front of the station.” The gun began to dip as John’s emotions began to overtake him. “So you tell me, you bastard, what the hell you did to my son. And so help me god you son of a bitch, if one hair on Colin’s head is messed with I will gut you myself and string your entrails around this town.” The gun finally lowered as the Sheriff dropped his arm and sagged to his knees, head in his hands. Parrish went down with him, trying to support him.

“Is Colin in a safe place right now?” Derek asked quietly, looking at the two men. The anger returned as the Sheriff jumped to his feet and got into Derek’s face. Parrish tried to pull him back but John pushed him off.

“The entire Beacon Hills Sheriff’s department is watching that boy, and it will be over my dead body that you hurt him,” John spat, his body shaking with rage.

Derek took a breath in, letting it out slowly. “Erica, gather the pack immediately. I want everyone here within the hour. Make it a priority.” Erica nodded and ran out to make the calls. “Scott, I want you with Stiles. Call Boyd and tell him to get over here. I want him on Stiles at all times. Sheriff, I need you to come with me. We have a lot we need to discuss.” Derek turned to head into the back, but stopped. Over his shoulder he said, “You too Jordan.”

* * *

 

When the group made their way into the back and to a room that was relatively private, Derek whirled around to the Sheriff. His anger was rolling off in waves. The stress of the last few hours, of losing Stiles and then his turn, then being accused of not only endangering Stiles but Colin, it had finally caught up and boiled over.

“First of all, Sheriff, don’t you _ever_ accuse me of something so heinous ever again.” The words were spit out as Derek jabbed a finger into John’s chest. The Sheriff smacked his hand away. “Are you threatening me young man?!” The Sheriff yelled. Jordan immediately stepped between them, knowing that he had two strong-willed men going at it. The sheriff might be older but he was not adverse to throwing down with someone else.

Isaac and Erica had both laid hands on Derek’s shoulders, murmuring to him low enough that only he could hear. Isaac moved in front of him, nuzzling him. It took a minute but Derek finally began to calm down.

The Sheriff, still being held back by Parrish, looked at him. “What the hell is this, some kind of weird kink thing?”

“Sheriff, let him explain,” Jordan said, and John just looked at him, surprised. “Explain what? What the hell is going on?!”

Derek quietly thanked Isaac, who moved off to the side. Taking a deep breath and reminding himself that ripping out the Sheriff’s throat would add another level of issues between Stiles and himself, Derek began.

“Sheriff, there are things going on in this town that you have no idea about. Things that ninety nine percent of the population know nothing about. But let me make this crystal clear – I would never harm Stiles, nor Colin. I love both of them very much.”

“Then explain this letter, Hale,” John said. “And I want to know where in here my son is.”

Derek rubbed his hand over his face, trying to figure out where to start. Bringing non supernaturals into the loop was always risky. The chances for being attacked and made public were astronomical. There was a very good reason their kind kept themselves invisible. But, Derek conceded, the Sheriff’s son was now part of their world, and so almost by association, the Sheriff as well. In truth, Derek thought, the Sheriff, and Colin, would be safer if the Sheriff were brought in.

“Sheriff, what I’m about to tell you will sound unbelievable, far-fetched, you name it. You will probably accuse me of being on drugs or crazy, or both. But everything I tell you now is the absolute truth. But this comes at a price, to me and my family,” Derek explained, indicating Erica and Isaac. “I’m about to endanger our lives by telling you, and I can only hope that I can count on you to listen, with an open mind, and understand that if what I tell you gets out, we could all end up dead.”

Derek stood, looking at the man across from him. He tried to project with his body language just how serious and scared Derek was at the moment. The Sheriff took a moment, looking at the people in front of him. The woman looked worried, and the younger man with the curly hair was very agitated, moving amongst them and constantly touching the other two.

“Is my son in danger? Is what you’re about to tell me going to make things worse for him?” He asked quietly.

Derek shook his head, then stopped. “No, although that’s going to depend on you. He is in danger right now, and although this won’t make sense to you right now, he will actually be in a better position to protect himself and his son very soon. If what I tell you should get out to the public, then yes, his life will very much be in jeopardy.”

The Sheriff let out a long sigh, rubbing his face. This was all too much, and now it seem about to get worse. What happened to his quiet little town? “O.K. Hale, lay it on me. I’m not sure how much more I can take after the last several hours, but – just talk.”

Derek told everyone to sit down. This was going to take a while. Before he started Derek perked up. “Erica, I think Boyd is here. Can you tell him to go relieve Scott for me. I’d like Scott out here for this.”

Erica jumped up, saying, “Of course Derek, be right back.” After a few minutes she returned with Scott, who had not only heard everything, but had also been updated by Erica. Scott moved in, automatically taking a seat next to Derek while Erica took the other side, effectively flanking Derek. Isaac remained standing and was pacing somewhat.

“First of all, Stiles is doing well. You can see him when we’re done here. He’s being watched at all times by one of us.” Derek seemed to hesitate, before looking at each of the other three pack members, silently getting their support for revealing their true nature.

“Sheriff, do you believe in the supernatural?”

The Sheriff made a jerky motion with his head. This was not the question he was expecting. “Um, no?” He said. “What are you taking about?”

“The supernatural world is very much real, and usually very much hidden, for good reason. Myself and my family here,” Derek indicated his betas, “are part of that world. I am a werewolf, as are Erica, Scott and Isaac here. I am what’s known as an alpha, I am the leader of this pack. They are my betas. I have other betas as well who are not here. Boyd, who you will meet shortly is one.”

Derek paused to let that sink in, and prepared for the expected reaction. “Werewolves are real?” The Sheriff asked. He just looked at Derek and the others, trying to decide what kind of shit Hale was trying to pull on him. An alpha werewolf – “Wait, you are an alpha – so you _are_ part of all of this. God damn it! _The Alpha_ , the one that’s been killing people all down the western coast?”

As the Sheriff began to stand up, trying to remove his cuffs and his sidearm again, Jordan stepped in front of him.

“Sheriff, no. He’s not part of that. Derek, you need to explain this to him,” Jordan said. The Sheriff was still trying to get his cuffs out, fully intending to haul Derek down to the jail, when it finally penetrated.

“Wait a minute, Parrish, you know what he’s talking about? Are you a part of this gang as well? A cop??”

Parrish just sighed, widening his eyes at Derek in a plea for help. This was going to spiral out quickly and turn ugly. “Sheriff, sit down, please sir.” He sat, but now he was looking between his own deputy, the man he hired himself, and Hale.

Derek moved to continue. “OK look I’m just going to throw all of this out here all at once. Yes, werewolves are real. We form packs, made up of an alpha, the leader, and betas. In our pack we also have an omega, Isaac here. The alpha you think I am, is not me. He is a werewolf, and he is an alpha, but he has his own pack and he is the one who is responsible for what happened to Stiles. I am in no way involved in anything illegal. My pack has been a part of Beacon Hills for over a hundred years. My mother, Talia, was alpha until she died, and the role fell to me. This other man, his name is Deucalion. He is a criminal. We got wind he was in town. I was able to figure out that the case Stiles was working on was connected to him somehow, and I was trying to protect Stiles without him knowing it.” Here Derek looked up at Jordan, silently asking permission to bring him in to the story. When the other man nodded, Derek kept going.

“Jordan knows what’s going. He is part of my pack.” When the Sheriff’s eyes widened and he turned to Parrish, Derek cut him off. “Jordan is part of my pack, but he is not a wolf. If he wants to he can explain his role. But he was the one working to keep Stiles safe, and when possible, tried to steer Stiles away from this other pack. Unfortunately they caught wind of Stiles, literally, one day when Stiles and Jordan came somewhat into contact with two members of Deucalion’s pack unintentionally. They could smell me on him and probably looked in to him and discovered he was working the murder case. I have nothing to do with them, but they felt the need to warn me of the repercussions if I decided to get involved.

Deucalion is technically invading my territory, which is a severe offense. He is trying to scare me from confronting him so that he can continue whatever it is he’s doing.”

The Sheriff sat back, trying to soak in everything Derek just told him. He was still trying to wrap his head around the claim of werewolves. He was beginning to think he needed sleep, or a drink, because this was all too much to take in. He stood up to pace a little bit, and found himself chuckling. This was all just a dream, he thought. He’d passed out from lack of sleep, that was all.  He rubbed hands through his hair, muttering to himself.

Derek stood and slowly walked over to him. “Maybe this will help convince you,” he said quietly. Derek let himself slowly change, as slow as possible to not cause the Sheriff to panic and have a heart attack. Or pull his gun and shoot him. He let his fangs lengthen, then the claws, and felt the facial hair sprout. Finally he let his eyes bleed red and he looked up at the other man.

“Jesus Mary and Joseph,” was all the Sheriff could say.

After a few minutes of standing off to the side trying to compose himself after witnessing what he thought was impossible, the Sheriff finally came back over. He looked at everyone, realizing they all seemed a little bit less anxious. Maybe he was dealing with this better than they thought he would.

“OK. So, I’ll be honest, I’m still having a hard time accepting all of this. But that said, how is my son affected now? Does he know about, this – what you are?”

Derek shook his head, and the Sheriff couldn’t help but see a look of sadness cross Derek’s face. “No, he doesn’t. When I began to realize just how important he was to me, I realized I needed to find a way to tell him. I was hoping I would have time to ease him into all of this, introduce him to the supernatural world, but my hand was forced last night.”

“Forced how?” The Sheriff asked.

Derek blew out a breath. No one had discussed, outside of the pack, what exactly had happened in the O.R. The sheriff’s department had only been informed that Stiles had survived his wounds.

“When Stiles was brought it last night, he had sustained fatal wounds. He had a gunshot to his gut, which was the least of his issues. He’d basically been gutted by a wolf. When we opened him up, the damage was extensive. Several blood vessels had been severed, an artery had been nicked. He coded several times on the table before he finally flat-lined. At that point there was nothing I could do to save him. In all honesty, sir, Stiles was dead before he ever made it to me. There was nothing I could do medically to save him. I made a split-second decision to either let him go, or to give him the bite and save him.”

Derek was looking at his hands as he spoke, not wanting to see the look in the Sheriff’s eyes as he told him what had happened.

“So, am I uh, understanding this right? My son, what – he’s like you now? A-a werewolf?” The Sheriff asked in a choked voice. Derek only nodded, finding it hard to speak.

“You turned him into a werewolf.” It was said in a flat voice, it wasn’t a question.

“I’d like to think I saved the man I love, and made it so Colin still has his dad, Sheriff.”


	11. Chapter 11

John had closed himself off emotionally after finding out about his son. He was overwhelmed and had no idea what he was feeling, or how he _should_ be feeling. On the one hand is son was now some kind of monster. On the other, he was alive. To hear that Stiles had basically died was something John just couldn’t deal with. Being a cop he knew there was always that chance that he or Stiles could be seriously hurt or killed on the job. But knowing that and actually facing it were two very different things. Add Colin in to the mix and it made it all the more difficult. The thought of Colin being left without his dad was just too painful.

He was trying to keep a handle on himself as he stood outside the door of Stiles’ room. He didn’t want to go in until he was under control, but he was fighting himself. He choked back the tears that were threatening, wiped his face and turned the knob and stepped in.

The room was dimly lit but it did nothing to hide the enormous black man sitting in a chair next to the hospital bed, reading a book. The man looked up and smiled slightly as he stood.

“Sheriff Stilinski, I’ll be right outside if you need me. Take your time,” his soft voice belying his size as he didn’t wait for a response and stepped out, closing the door. John looked at his son, lying unconscious still, and was surprised at how good he looked. When they had loaded him into the ambulance he’d looked like he’d been beaten within an inch of his life. Yet now, his face was normal. He looked perfectly fine, skin unblemished and a healthy glow to his face.

John sat in the chair next to the bed and grabbed Stiles’ hand, noticing the lack of I.V. or any other medical equipment. In fact, if he didn’t know better, he’d say Stiles had just climbed into bed for a nap. It certainly didn’t look like his son had died on the operating table after being tortured by criminals.

“Jesus Christ Stiles, what the hell, son? What the hell did you get into?”

John let the tears flow, he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He’d almost lost his son, his only family, and the realization of just how close he came to a repeat of the aftermath of losing his wife hit him hard. As it all came crashing down on him irrational thoughts like demanding Stiles quit the force and find safer work ran through his head. This was followed closely by the overwhelming sense of guilt because he was the one that put Stiles on the case of the murder, and if he hadn’t, it wouldn’t be his son lying here right now. He chased the guilt with feelings of selfishness, wanting someone else to be lying here instead of his son, only to be wrapped up in guilt yet again for wishing for one of his other deputies to be here.

He smoothed the hair back from his son’s forehead. “You know what kid, we’ll get through this. We’ll figure it out, and we’ll get through it. And you’ll be able to go home to Colin, and really, that’s all the matters right now.”

* * *

 

Stiles couldn’t move, and he was beginning to panic. It was pitch black and he was on his back unable to move anything. All around him were ominous sounds. It was like something sharp being dragged across concrete. The sound of a man laughing darkly came from a far corner, only to repeat clear across the room. Though he couldn’t see he felt like the room was cavernous. And it was cold, so very cold.

His heart rate sped up as the scratching sounds came closer.

“Whatssss wrong Stilesssss….” Someone hissed out.

Stiles turned his head, trying to locate whoever spoke.

“W-who are you?” He croaked.

More scratching, this time practically right on top of him, making Stiles yelp and fight his bonds.

More laughing, and when he flipped his head over to find it Stiles swore he saw something glowing and red, like a pair of eyes.

“Sti-iles…..” they sing-songed.

“Who are you?! What do you want from me?!” Stiles cried. His heart was jack-rabbiting to a painful degree, and he felt like a panic attack was going to hit any second.

“Sti-iles, Sti-iles, Sti-iles,” they kept singing.

A pair of glowing, crimson red eyes appeared right in front of him. Stiles jerked, and when a clawed hand appeared out of the dark and swung at him, Stiles screamed.

* * *

 

“…iles…”

“Stiles, can you hear me?”

Derek leaned over the prone man, trying to hold him down as he thrashed when he suddenly let out a scream and came up swinging. Despite having werewolf reflexes Derek was not expecting it and fell back as Stiles landed a solid punch to his nose, blood pouring from his face.

Boyd had run in just as Derek went down and had to make a decision as to who to go to, quickly. Figuring his alpha would be ok he opted to grab Stiles and pin his arms down. Erica, Isaac and Scott also ran in to see what had happened. Scott and Erica helped Derek up, Scott grabbing a towel from the bathroom and pushing it to Derek’s face, while Isaac ran over to nuzzle Stiles. It took a minute of him scenting Stiles and murmuring to him as he practically laid on the bed with him before Isaac had Stiles calmed down enough to where Boyd could release him.

“What happened? Is he ok?” The Sheriff asked, alarmed. When Stiles had started to get agitated in his sleep Derek had appeared suddenly, telling John to step back. He had done so, watching from the corner as Derek stood over his son. Boyd stepped away from the bed to allow John to move in, but Isaac stayed put, a small whine coming from him. Stiles had calmed, but was still unconscious.

Derek wiped the blood from his nose and threw the towel into the corner. Luckily it hadn’t been broken and was already healed.

“He’s ok, probably a nightmare combined with the continuing transition. We’ll need to keep a pack member in here at all times until he wakes.” Derek scruffed his hair up as his heart rate evened back out. He’d heard Stiles’ heart begin to race and the murmurs and knew something was going to happen. Thankfully Derek was the one to take the hit and not the Sheriff, as even despite not being completely transformed Stiles had packed a serious punch. “You guys go ahead, I’ll stay here for a while. I’ve taken you all off rotation for now until things calm down. Scott, you and I will need to put in for some time off.”

Scott nodded, having already figured as much and put the request in earlier. This was an unusual turning, completely unplanned and with someone oblivious to the supernatural world. It was a forgone conclusion this would take some time to deal with.

“Come on guys, let’s go get some food. Derek, we’ll bring some back for you and the Sheriff,” Scott said. When Derek thanked him, he went up to Isaac, who looked like he might refuse to leave Stiles’ side. “It’s ok pup, he’ll be safe. Go eat and keep your strength up. You’re going to need it.” Isaac nodded, but still didn’t seem too happy to leave until Scott pulled him into his side and nuzzled him as he led the man out.

The Sheriff watched the exchange, confusion waring with curiosity. When Derek pulled up a chair and sat, he decided to ask.

“So, Hale, what’s the deal with that kid, Isaac? Why does he act like that?”

Derek just offered a wan smile. “Isaac, even though my beta, is also what’s called an omega. With werewolves the omega is the nurturing member of the pack, the peace-keeper. When someone is distressed, he is biologically wired to act as a calming agent to that person. It’s strongest with me, since I am his alpha. It’s instinct for him to want to keep me calm. He does it with all pack members, but it’s a stronger reaction to me. And, it seems, to Stiles. He seems to already be forming a strong bond with Stiles. I am truly interested to see how it develops once Stiles awakens and can complete his transition and pack bond. With as strong as it is now, I’m thinking Isaac and Stiles will have a very close bond.”

John tried to mull that over, but it seemed so weird. “So, the cuddling thing? Is that part of it?” He asked.

Derek nodded again. “Yes, it’s called ‘scenting’. Scent is the most important sense for us. Scenting allows us to identify other wolves, but also provides comfort and a sense of safety. What Isaac was doing there, with Stiles, and with me out front earlier, he’s rubbing himself on us and physically transferring his scent. In both cases today he was doing it to calm me and Stiles down. I also scent the others, not only to reaffirm my dominance over them as alpha, but to also instill the sense of safety. As alpha I am responsible for the physical and emotional well-being of my pack members. That is how I am wired.”

John nodded, honestly it sounded like what dogs did, but something told him that if he compared dogs to werewolves it would probably be seen as a slur or insult. He wisely kept that to himself.

“Well that makes sense, I guess.” He looked at his son, who was sleeping peacefully again. “What about Stiles, why does it look like nothing happened to him? He shouldn’t look like this, he should be a mess.”

Derek explained the healing properties of werewolves, and how Stiles was already healing. Derek figured another day and he’d be completely healed and probably awake. “Stiles will heal from most injuries now, things that would kill a normal human. He will never get sick. There are things that can kill him, things specific to werewolf biology, but most injuries will not be fatal.”

“There are specific things that can kill you? Like what?” John’s interest was piqued, just because it all seemed so B Movie. Like stakes for vampires, did silver bullets kill them?

As if reading his mind Derek answered. “Silver does nothing, not like in the fairy tales. Our number one hazard is wolfsbane. It can be deadly, and it’s immensely painful for us to be exposed to it.”

John spent another couple of hours in the room before having to leave. Jordan had left earlier to check on Colin at the station. As Stiles had been at his age, Colin was now the station mascot. Most of the deputies loved him and enjoyed spoiling him. The ladies at the reception desk were notorious for ignoring their work when Colin was there, opting instead to dote over the little imp with the Stilinski charm. John needed to get back and honestly, he wanted to hug his grandson and not let go. Colin had been beside himself, wondering where his daddy was. He’d slept on a cot in the Sheriff’s office while other deputies had stayed all night, taking turns keeping guard. They had all volunteered to do it off the clock- that was how important Stiles and his son were to them. They played games and watched movies, even ordered in pizza for dinner until he finally conked out.

The sheriff left the hospital, eyes open and watching everything as he walked to his cruiser. He was on high alert and not taking any chances. As he got in, locked the door and started the engine up and pulled out, he couldn’t help but re-live the events of last night.

_The Sheriff stood with Jordan, going over Stile’s notes, trying to find some leads as to where Stiles might have gone. John knew that Stiles was taking his case seriously, but he knew better than to leave and not let dispatch, or himself, know where he was headed. It was basic police protocol. You always tell dispatch where you’re headed and/or where you are. They had seen Stiles leave the station the day before, and that had been the last they’d heard from him. No one had really noticed that Stiles never showed for work the next day. The Sheriff had been in and out, just assuming he was missing his son on the way. Everyone else was in the same boat, just assuming he was there, just not in the same room. It wasn’t until the school had called to say no one had picked Colin up that John began to panic. There was not a chance in hell that Stiles would forget to pick his son up. It was the same routine every day: pick him up, take him home where Jessie, Colin’s part-time nanny, would take over until Stiles got home. Colin had spent the night with the Sheriff, as he often did, and John had taken the boy to school._

_John had called her, only to find out that she had been waiting at the house and hadn’t seen Stiles. She had tried to call him several times to see where he was, or if he hadn’t actually needed her that day and perhaps forgot to tell her. John had hung up and told Jordan that Stiles was missing and that he needed to go get his grandson, then raced out to get Colin. When he’d made it to the school Colin was in the school office, crying, wanting to know where his daddy was. The Sheriff had only said to the receptionist that there was an issue at the station and that he needed to take Colin. Since he was the emergency contact, John had no problems taking the boy._

_With promises of cookies John told Colin that daddy was working and that Colin would get to spend some time at the station. That appeased the boy somewhat. It was a few hours later, as phone calls were being made and CSI was going over Stile’s BHSD SUV that they heard the squealing of car tires, followed by two gunshots, as a car raced up to the front of the station. It slowed long enough for someone to open the back door and push a body out onto the steps, before racing off again. When it was clear, Tara, who had pushed Colin into the Sheriff’s office and crouched over him to protect him, had kept him inside as she heard shouts of “Stiles is hurt!” There was no way she was letting the little boy anywhere near a window if it was indeed his dad outside._

* * *

 

The next morning saw Stiles coming to, and Derek was there when it happened. It was still fairly early, around six a.m. when he woke. Derek sent a quick text to the pack telling them of his status and to stay close, but to not come into the room just yet. Derek needed to explain to Stiles what was happening, and not only would it be easier to not have the pack, and therefore the pack bonds, overwhelming him, but it would also mean any negative reactions to Derek would not happen in front of his pack members.

Derek stood and stretched, easing out the knots in his muscles from sleeping in a chair, as he walked over and sat on the bed next to Stiles. He placed a hand on his chest and rubbed in circles as he watched the gorgeous whiskey-colored eyes he’d fallen in love with finally work themselves open. Before he could say anything Stiles let out a huge, jaw-cracking yawn, rubbing his eyes to try and clear them.

“D’rek?” He said, voice hoarse and raspy. “Where ‘m I?”

“Shh, it’s ok, you’re in the hospital. You were pretty badly hurt,” Derek replied, in what he was hoping was a soothing voice.

Stiles looked at him, somewhat far off as if he was replaying the last couple of days in his mind. Derek could sense the second it all came back to him. His heart rate sped up, eyes widening, and Derek was surprised to see his eyes flash quickly in beta gold before returning to their normal color.

“ **OhmygodDerekwhathappened?!”** Stiles asked in a panicked voice. “Colin – where’s Colin, where’s my son, I need to leave and get him!”

Derek leaned over Stiles, trying to calm him down without doing anything overtly wolf-like, like flashing his alpha eyes back.

“Stiles, shhh, it’s ok. Your dad has Colin, he’s perfectly safe. He stayed at the station with just about every deputy in town guarding him. He’s safe Stiles, I promise.”

Stiles felt his eyes water-up and he began to shake. “Fuck, those, people -things! They threatened to hurt my little boy”. Stiles could see it in his mind, the guy he’d seen on the street crouching in front of him, provoking him with the things he would do to Colin, before killing him. He could feel the bile rise and it was everything he could do to not vomit. The sight of that, thing, he couldn’t make sense of it. Red eyes and fucking _fangs_.

Derek grabbed Stiles and pulled him up into a sitting position so that he could envelope him in a hug. He kissed his head and couldn’t help rocking his boyfriend as the man began to fall apart and began to sob. All Derek could do was hold him and rock him through it, whispering soothing words in his ear. After a few minutes he could feel Stiles begin to settle and then suddenly he went rigid, pushing himself back.

He looked down at himself, then around the room, then back to Derek. It was an uncertain, yet assessing, gaze, and Derek knew he was realizing his condition. Or lack thereof. When he pulled the sheets off to look at his chest, Derek knew it was time. He silently sent a prayer to whoever was listening that this wasn’t the end for them.

“Stiles, we need to talk.” Derek cut him off as Stiles began to ask about his lack of injuries. “I need to tell you something, and it’s going to be hard to take in. I haven’t been completely honest with you as to who I really am…” Derek took a breath in continue but Stiles cut in.

“You’re part of it, aren’t you,” he stated. When Derek cocked his head, Stiles – anger rising, said, “You’re part of this group that’s been killing people. Is that why they took me? Was I getting too close to you and your side business?” Stiles all but spat out his words. “Was I just a way to get you an inside man in the department?!”

Derek could do nothing but look him dead in the eyes. “Stiles, listen to me, I promise, on all I hold dear, which includes you and Colin, that I am not, in any way whatsoever, a part of that group.” Stiles looked less than convinced, and Derek couldn’t blame him. God only knows what he was told by the people who took him.

“Let me ask you something – you saw something that you can’t explain, am I right? Something that seems impossible?” Stiles nodded his head in a jerky motion. “Perhaps someone who seemed to have red eyes. Fangs?” When Stiles jerked his head again and began to look pale, Derek grabbed his hands. Stiles tried to pull away but Derek wouldn’t let him go. “Stiles, like I said there’s something you need to know about me. Those people who took you, they’re werewolves. They can transform between man and what you saw. I can do that as well.” Derek paused, letting Stiles take a moment. It was disconcerting to see no reaction at all, of any kind. Stiles just went deathly still, not even blinking. It was a very different reaction from his father.

When he tried to pull his hands away a second time, Derek let him go. Stiles shifted backward in the bed, staring off to the side while absently rubbing his chest. He probably didn’t even know he was doing it. “I am a werewolf, I was born that way, as was my family. I come from an incredibly long line of wolves. But, my family has always been peaceful, and I promise you, I had nothing to do with what is happening in town.”

Still refusing to look at him, Stiles asked, “Why are you telling me this Derek?” The question was completely devoid of emotion.

“Stiles, when you came in to the ER, you were bleeding out. You had coded twice on the way. I was on call that night and I was the one that operated on you. You came in with a gut shot as well as substantial trauma to your chest cavity. Your heart was practically shredded. You coded several times before I finally lost you. Your heart stopped.” Derek couldn’t help the tears that fell, his voice choking with the words. Despite the man being alive and whole right in front of him, the memories of what happened in the O.R. would haunt him forever.

“I don’t exactly look or feel like I died.”

Derek wiped his face, but kept his eyes down. He didn’t want to see the look of hatred or disgust in his boyfriend’s face. “You don’t look or feel that way because I turned you. When you died, I kept your blood flowing long enough to give you the bite, then kept massaging your heart until I knew the bite would take. I literally had your heart in my hands, and I kept it pumping until I knew for sure you would live. It took over an hour, but it worked. All I could think about was losing you, of Colin losing you. I have never – ever- in my life given someone the bite without their consent. Until you.”

There was only oppressive silence in the room. Derek’s face was wet with the tears that refused to not fall, and he’d had to clench his fists to hide the shaking in his hands as he spoke. He loved Stiles with everything he had, and knowing he may have to give it up was breaking his heart. Derek may be his alpha, but there were other packs nearby that he could align with. He would get him entrance, no matter what it took. Stiles would not be an omega, or worse, rogue.

When he finally did work up the nerve to look at the other man, he saw Stiles looking off again, chewing on his thumb. “So, why do I not have any injuries now?”

Derek felt like he was in limbo. He was prepared for the anger, the disbelief. Hell he’d been expecting yells and threats. Not this, whatever it was.

“Well, like I said, I gave you the bite. You are a werewolf. One of the benefits is the ability to heal from almost anything. While you have been unconscious your body has healed itself. You have no scars, nothing to show you were wounded badly enough to die on the table.”

Stiles, still rubbing his chest, looked at Derek. His face still passive as he mulled Derek’s words over. “So, I’m a werewolf. Hmm.” When Derek nodded but said nothing else, Stiles just looked away before turning onto his side, away from Derek.

* * *

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahh two chapters in the same day!! 
> 
> Stiles wakes and deals with his new situation. We learn of an inside man.

 

_“O.K. I gave you the information on Stilinski, you didn’t even ask for it. So I think you owe me something in return,”_ the voice on the line said.

Kali let out a chuckle at the gall of her informant. “Listen you little prick, you’ll be rewarded when I feel like you deserve it.”

_“What the fuck man? You got your man. It’s not my fault you all were incapable of killing the little shit. I thought you were supposed to be the ‘big bad monsters’”_ , the voice goaded.

Kali stilled for a second. “The cop still lives?” When the voice confirmed it, Kali let out a soft curse. How the hell had the kid survived? They had practically gutted him. He should be dead. There was only one way he could’ve survived, she thought, her anger rising. “Listen to me, carefully. Get me the child, and you’ll get what I promised. Do you understand?”

_“Of course_ ,” came the reply. Kali hung up, not bothering with any further words. She had no use for humans. Putting her phone away she strode through the warehouse to the office upstairs. She took the steps two at a time and knocked softly on the closed door. When she was beckoned, she walked in and closed the door.

“My dear, what has you so upset?” Deucalion asked, sitting back in his chair. He watched Kali pace in front of the beat up metal desk he was using, his eyes narrowing. “What’s wrong Kali?”

The woman stopped and turned to the man. “What’s wrong is that the cop still lives.” Deucalion was surprised by the news. “Is that so,” he said evenly. “His injuries were quite substantial. Ennis did a very thorough job.”

“There’s only one way he could’ve survived.” Kali told him. The alpha nodded at her words. “Yes, it seems the good alpha Hale got to his boyfriend in time.” Duke ran various scenarios through his head, trying to work out how this little bit of news might affect his end-game. “Actually, this might work in our favor,” he said, a slight smile playing along his lips. When Kali quirked an eyebrow at him in question, he told her. “The Stilinski boy, if he has indeed been turned, has received the bite less than a week before the full moon. His transformation will be brand new, and his lack of control will be nothing compared to what it will be in a few days. I can almost bet Hale will be very pre-occupied with getting his mate through a sudden full moon shift, and will probably handle it himself. The boy will need the strength of his alpha to get him through it. And if the good Sheriff is also pulled into his son’s new situation, then he will be preoccupied as well.” The grin began to grow, and it was match by one from Kali.

“This may have actually been the best thing to happen.”

* * *

 

Derek sat there quietly as he watched Stiles. He’d told him everything he wanted to know, had answered every question asked, explained how the pack worked, had even shifted for him, and still no freak-out. Still that utter stillness though, and Derek, if he was being honest, was thinking a total freak-out would be easier to handle. That he could understand and handle. But the quiet stillness was disconcerting. Still he sat and watched as Stiles ate food that was delivered to Derek by Erica. Erica, despite the circumstances, still felt it was her duty to give Derek shit about being his personal food deliverer but left the food with a saucy wink at Stiles and a smirk at Derek.

“When you finish eating, would you want to meet the rest of my pack? You don’t have to, but it might make it easier.”

Stiles looked up from his food when Derek asked him the question. Did he want to meet them? He didn’t know. He wasn’t sure he cared to be brutally honest. This was all just too much and he’d felt himself shut down in a way. He knew he’d have a meltdown at some point, but for now he was in a type of survival mode. What he really wanted was his son. His dad had called a little while ago and told him that he was getting Colin some food and then bringing him over and Stiles was itching for them to hurry.

So for now Stiles shrugged his answer, and it seemed good enough for Derek. Derek pulled his phone out and sent out a quick text. Putting it away he smirked and quietly said, “get your ass in here Erica and stop eavesdropping.” Erica bounced in immediately, wide grin on her ruby red lips. Derek told her to give Stiles his space before she could bear hug the poor man.

“OK, so you know Erica probably. She’s one of my nurses, and she’s also a very close friend of mine. The others are on their way.” Derek’s phone buzzed and he read the message that came in. Looking up he took in the two people. “Ugh, listen I need to go see to something real quick. Erica, can you stay with Stiles while I go deal with this?” When Erica nodded with a ‘sure thing boss’, Derek smiled and promised to hurry back. He left the room in a rush and when he made it out to the hallway he slowed down. He had no emergency to see to, and Erica knew it. He needed to not only give Stiles some space from him but he wanted to let him bond to Erica. Deep down he knew Stiles could develop the same kind of friendship that he had with Erica. Erica was snark personified but not only that, she could probably provide some comfort to Stiles right now.

Erica had grabbed a chair and moved it up close to Stiles, still grinning at him. “Hey Stiles, how are you feeling?”

When he just shrugged again, not knowing what to say, Erica kept going. “I know this is a lot to take in. Not only are you being shown that big bads are real, but now you are one. When you came in that night,” she paused for a second, collecting herself, “when you came in, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen Derek fumble in his response. He was so shocked and terrified when he saw it was you. We both knew that there was no way you were going to survive, but neither of us would admit it. He kept fighting. He kept shocking your heart to bring you back. Then after, when he knew the bite had taken, while the rest of us were getting you cleaned up, Derek had a meltdown. In his heart he couldn’t let you die, he loves you so much, and he didn’t want Colin to lose you, but he broke the number one rule to save you. He gave you the bite without consent, which just isn’t done by good alphas. It’s akin to rape in his eyes. But he had to weigh the consequences. He knows that you probably detest him now, for doing this, but he was willing to accept that in order to send you back home to your little boy.”

Stiles looked down at his hands, twisting them in his lap. He wadded up his food wrappers and pushed them off to the side of the bed. Flashes of the room he’d been held in ran before his eyes. Claws, red eyes, blood. Pain. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself as he felt his heart beat faster. He opened his eyes when he felt hands on his own.

“It’s ok Stiles, you’re safe.” Erica spoke calmly to him, but Stiles began to shake as his heart pounded harder and his vision began to blacken out. Erica moved up to the side of the bed and wrapped him in her arms and rocked him, soothing him as he rode out the panic attack. When his breathing began to hitch she counted for him until it eventually evened back out. Stiles took big gulps of air as his lungs finally opened back up as his eyes decided now was the time to let loose. He didn’t fight it, just let himself cry. Erica just held on tighter, one hand running through his hair. “Am I monster now?”

Erica pulled back but cupped Stiles’ head. “No sweetie, you’re not. Are you different now? Yes. But you’re no monster. Just a man with some really cool new attributes and a monthly hair problem.” Stiles couldn’t help the snort that escaped him. He sucked in a lung full of air and wiped his face off on the blanket before rubbing his hands through his hair.

“Feel better?” Erica asked.

Stiles chuckled, because yes, he actually did feel better, although jittery. He said so to Erica. “Yeah you’re feeling the pull of your bond to Derek. Since your pack bond is so new, when you’re separated from Derek you’ll feel anxious. But it’ll go away soon, especially once you meet the rest of the pack and begin to bond with them. Speaking of which, I do believe the rest of the pack is here, and Derek is making his way back as well. You should start to feel calmer as he gets closer.”

Sure enough, a few minutes later Stiles could feel a sense of calm come over him, as if someone were caressing him. It was a weird feeling, but nice at the same time. There was a knock and Derek poked his head in.

“You up to meet everyone?” Derek asked. When Stiles nodded Derek came inside, followed by some others. Stiles remembered seeing one of them, he thought it was at the bar that one night. Derek introduced Scott, Isaac and Boyd and everyone said their hellos and waved. “there are other pack members who are out of town that you’ll meet eventually, but there is one more person here, why don’t you come on in now,” Derek said to the door.

When he walked in Stiles’ eyes went wide. “What the fuck man, you’re a werewolf too?”

Jordan blushed but shook his head. “No, I’m something else. But I am part of this pack.”

But then memories came back to Stiles, and he sat up straighter. “Wait, I heard you on the phone. I heard you talking to The Alpha, I thought you were mixed up with whatever is going on in town.”

Jordan cut him off. “No, I was talking to Derek. I was trying to keep you from getting involved with the group that hurt you, but I obviously failed.”

Before he could continue there was a screech of ‘daddy!’ and a small body came flying into the room and launched itself at Stiles.

* * *

 

Stiles had spent the better part of an hour cuddling his son, not wanting to ever let him go. The pack had left to give them some time to themselves until eventually Derek and the Sheriff had come back in wearing serious expressions.

“Son, I think now that we’ve gotten past the ‘weirdest’ part of your new situation, it’s time to talk about what happened.” The Sheriff took a chair and sat next to the bed. Stiles had gotten out of the bed, not really needing to be in it, and Colin had fallen asleep, so Stiles tucked him in. He stood back up, then asked Derek if they could go to a different room. Even though he was asleep, Stiles didn’t think he could recount the other day in front of his little boy. He didn’t want to take any chances of Colin hearing any of the details. So Derek led them into the next room over and got everyone a chair. Stiles sat, legs bouncing, as he began to fill them in on what happened. The Sheriff had gone into cop mode, turning off his emotions and taking Stiles’ statement as if he were any other victim giving information to a crime.

_When he’d woken, he’d found himself sitting in a high backed chair, feet tied to the chair legs and his hands tied behind him, just like the old man in the Chinese shop. His heart began to race as he realized his predicament. He’d remembered running out of the station, but then that was it until now. They must’ve gotten to him outside the station, probably as he tried to get to his cruiser. He seemed to be alone so he took the time to get his bearings. His head was aching something fierce and he figured the stickiness he could feel on his forehead and cheek was probably drying blood. Testing his bindings he discovered quickly that he was going nowhere. Not one to give up, however, Stiles began twisting his limbs this way and that, trying to loosen the ropes._

_Muttering to himself he didn’t hear the other man walk in until he was practically on top of Stiles, and when he clacked his cane on the floor Stiles yelped and jerked, almost up-ending himself._

_“Deputy Stilinski, so nice to meet you face to face,” the man said, smooth British brogue making his words seem proper and gentlemanly. The tone of his voice was very much at odds with the visual, Stiles thought to himself, as he took in the man. He wasn’t overly tall, fairly average, but he stood regally in what looked to be an extremely expensive suit and shoes that probably cost more than what Stiles made in a month. His blond hair was expertly styled and he wore a smile that on anyone else would probably seem friendly. On this man, however, it radiated power, self-confidence and a dash of evil. He stood very still, hands crossed over the top of a walking cane. Stiles found himself almost mesmerized by the wolf’s head and the red eyes, and how they seemed to almost glow in the small bit of light in the room._

_He pulled his gaze away from the red eyes and looked up at the man. “Well it seems you have me at a disadvantage, I have no idea who you are and I’m feeling pretty certain I’m not happy to meet you,” Stiles said, voice tight. The other man smiled, and dipped his head slightly. “Forgive me, where are my manners? I am Deucalion, Alpha of the Northern Pack. And you, dear officer, are getting in my way.”_

_Duke’s gaze hardened as he spoke, and at the realization of who this man was Stiles felt himself go cold. “Deucalion…you’re The Alpha, the one that’s been leaving bodies down the state,” he said flatly. Deucalion made a small bow before he stood upright and began to walk off to the side, swinging his cane as he went. He stopped and turned back to face Stiles, the eerie grin on his face._

_“Yes, I am The Alpha. I see my reputation precedes me. I thought that by working in a smaller town I would be free from police hassles. However it seems I didn’t account for a dedicated officer who seems to be like a dog with a bone. Although I am impressed with your investigative skills concerning the little incident at the herbal shop, I must confess that you are coming a bit too close to my operations.”_

_Stiles couldn’t help the chuff that came out of his mouth. “The little incident? Seriously? You gutted an old man for what? A bottle of herbs? What’s so important about that stuff that you would brutally murder someone for it?”_

_“Tsk tsk, there’s so much you are not aware of, Deputy. So much you have no idea about. You know nothing about the world except what happens in your little Mayberry. You sleep with the devil and don’t even know it. There are things so much more important than you mere humans.” The condescension rolling off of Deucalion’s words was thick enough to slice with a knife. The grin from earlier was replaced with a cold look of contempt as he stared at Stiles._

_“I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about, dude. So why don’t you let me go and we can call it even. You know, cause kidnapping a Sheriff’s deputy is pretty much frowned upon.”_

_When Stiles heard a snort come from behind him, he tried to turn to see who was there, but was unable to twist around to see. When he gazed back at Deucalion, he couldn’t help the fear creeping in to his bones. This man in front of him had killed countless people, was involved in some kind of drug business, and the chances of Stiles getting out of this were less than slim. He couldn’t help the vision of Colin popping into his head and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. And what the fuck did he mean by ‘mere humans’?_

_“Stiles, Stiles, Stiles, I’m sure you understand that kidnapping is the least of your worries right now. You are beginning to get in my way, and nothing, absolutely nothing, will stop me from attaining my goal. So you have to go away, so that I may continue.”_

_Stiles opened his eyes again, tried to affect a sense of bravado despite his rabbiting heartbeat. “Go away? What the hell? You think the entire Sheriff’s department won’t hunt you down? We’re on to you, we know all about you and your operation. Even if you kill me, the rest of the department will take you down,” Stiles said._

_Deucalion laughed. The fucker threw his head back and laughed. “Oh my dear boy, I don’t have to hear your heartbeat to know that is a lie. We will never be brought down, not by the Beacon Hills Sheriff’s Department, and certainly not by Deputy Fife.”_

_Stiles was torn between confusion at the man’s words about his heartbeat and being compared to Barney Fife. “I’ll have you know, asswipe, that all of my bullets are in my gun, not my pocket,” Stiles spat. Seriously, he was gunning for a quicker death but he couldn’t help throw attitude and snark at this man. It was his main form of defense in a defenseless situation. Suddenly the person who was behind him walked around, and Stiles eyes widened._

_“You mean this gun,_ Deputy _?” The man Stiles had seen on the street and in the video was sneering at him as he held his service weapon up. The man made a humming sound, as if admiring the firearm, before he cocked the hammer, aimed at Stiles, and fired._

_The pain was something Stiles had never before experienced as he yelled out. It felt like fire had ripped into his stomach as he was thrown backward with enough force to topple the chair over. It was almost a point blank shot, but Stiles really wasn’t registering much through the pain and shock of being shot. The man who had shot him set the gun down on a table and strode over. Reaching down he grabbed Stiles by his shirtfront and lifted him back up like he weighed next to nothing. His head swam at the movement and felt his bile rise as the room spun._

_“Now, now Ennis, I don’t want him dead just yet. Perhaps there is more we can glean from the good officer,” Deucalion said. Ennis, for his part, just smirked before he reached over again and grabbed Stiles’ arm and began to drain some pain and therefore make Stiles a bit more coherent._

_“Wha-what the fuck?!” Stiles yelled as the pain abated somewhat, the shock must be setting in already, it was the only explanation for suddenly not feeling as much of the liquid fire shooting through him. “You fucking shot me, you dick!”_

_Ennis only snorted at Stiles, looking down at him like he was a piece of filth. “Stupid humans, never know when to shut the hell up,” Ennis smirked. Ennis moved around to stand behind Stiles again, and Stiles shivered when he could feel the man standing less than an inch away from his back. Having a threat at his back went against all of his instincts, but he was helpless._

_“What’s with the ‘humans’ thing there big guy? You sure have an inflated sense of self don’t you. I mean seriously, we’re all human, even if some of us do look like block-heads who’ve taken one too many enhancement drugs.” Ennis grabbed the back of Stiles’ head and yanked, exposing his throat. “You know Duke, for a cop this one isn’t very smart, is he.” Ennis flung Stiles’ head forward again then moved around to his front. Before he could do anything else Duke stepped forward, halting the large man._

_“Deputy, it’s probably not wise to vex Ennis, he’ll only make it worse for you when I turn him loose. Now, I would like some information from you.”_

_Stiles snorted. “And why would I give you information?”_

_Deucalion stepped closer and gracefully lowered himself so that he was eye level with Stiles. “Because if you don’t, I will feed that sweet little boy of yours to my pack. Do you know how much noise little pups make when ripped limb from limb? It’s a delicious sound, although I imagine it wouldn’t be such a fulfilling sound to you, know would it?_

_So, I would like to know more about Hale and his pack, and how involved with the police department they are. My sources say they aren’t, save for Deputy Parrish, but one can never be too certain, now can they?”_

_Stiles was about to let loose with more snark but stopped short. “What? You mean Derek? What the hell are you talking about? What the hell is a pack?”_

_Deucalion’s head tilted to the side slightly as he watched Stiles. Ennis looked surprised. “Shit Duke, he’s not lying. He doesn’t know, does he?”_

_“Do you know what your lover is, Deputy?” Deucalion asked quietly, still with the thoughtful look on his face. Stiles had no idea where The Alpha was going with this. “Um, a cardiologist?”_

_Ennis began to laugh and pace. “Oh my god, this is rich. Hale’s fucking this kid and hasn’t even told him anything.”_

_Stiles felt panic begin to well up, wondering what his boyfriend had to do with these criminals. Was Derek a part of all of this? Was he some kind of rival gang member? How could Stiles have not picked up on that, he was a fucking cop!_

_Duke could hear Stiles’ heart rate increase, could see his breathing speed up as well. He came closer to him, squatting down again in front. “My dear boy, you have no idea what you have gotten yourself into do you,” he whispered, almost to himself._

_“I don’t know what you’re talking about, honestly. Derek and I have been seeing each other, that’s it. He’s my son’s doctor, that’s all,” Stiles said, unable to keep the pleading sound from his voice._

_Deucalion stood back up and straightened his clothes. “No, Deputy, he is most certainly not just a doctor. Your lover has been lying to you since day one.” Smiling again, Deucalion let his eyes bleed alpha red and his canines drop, pulling a strangled gasp from Stiles. “Derek Hale is a monster.” Laughing he let his eyes go blue again and looked over to Ennis. “Ennis, I doubt he knows anything. Looks like Hale has been keeping his little pet in the dark. But feel free to do what you do best just to make sure. I have other business to attend to.”_

_With that Deucalion turned and left the room. Stiles was still breathing hard and wondering what the hell he’d just witnessed when Ennis stood in front of him, glowing red eyes and a toothy grin on his face. When he raised a clawed hand Stiles screamed._


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles endures his first full moon and transformation, and Derek gets a bit of a surprise during it.

Kali looked up when she saw Deucalion come down the stairs into the basement and she offered him a smile. He strode up to her as he looked over the occupants of the cages in the room. “How are our little pets holding up?” He asked.

There were several large cages in the room, and three of them currently held three women who were still sleeping off the drugs the twins had administered. They were dressed in mini-skirts and halter tops, and one of them had torn fishnets and was missing a shoe. They were banged up slightly, probably from fighting the twins, but for the most part they were in once piece. On the other side of the room were four newly turned wolves, two men and two women. Any injuries they had sustained had healed with their transition, but they looked bedraggled and very confused. They were shackled to the wall by their hands and feet and muzzled and extremely unhappy.

“Ethan and Aiden just brought these three in a couple of hours ago. They’ll probably be out for at least another hour. And as you can see these four,” she gestured to the shackled wolves, “have completed their transition. They’ll be given a dose of various potency to see how it affects them. As you know the last sample cases took almost an hour to die. We’ve tweaked this latest version of the drug to see if we can speed up the effects. I’m still very confident we can get fatal results within ten minutes.

As for the sleeping beauties, once they wake we’ll turn them. Dr. Chang has already begun distilling the species of wolfsbane we got from the old man. Once he’s done we’ll test it on them.”

Deucalion nodded at the briefing. “Very good Kali. Where are the boys right now?”

“They’re disposing of two bodies who rejected the bite and then they plan to scout out replacements. They’ll probably be back by this evening.”

Deucalion nodded once again, pleased at the progress his pack was making. “Excellent. When the boys get back, have them report to me. We’re getting close, I can feel it. I’ll need them to start infiltrating the school in order to sniff out our ‘innocent’ for the Nemeton.”

He decided to stay for a few minutes to observe Dr. Chang’s work. The quiet man spent a few minutes filling four syringes with the pale purple liquid, then picked up a shock stick before moving closer to the wolves. He went up to the first wolf and hit her with the shock stick, causing her to scream in pain but also become motionless for the few seconds the doctor needed to move in and inject her with the first syringe. He injected the other three newly turned wolves and smiled when it only took 43 minutes for it to kill them. Progress.

* * *

 

“Listen, if this is too much, I can probably work something out with Scott. Although to be honest this is the safest place for you. Or, or if you want you can stay here but I can go somewhere else, and I can have one of the others stay with you…”

“Derek, knock it off,” Stiles interrupted as Derek began to ramble. They had just walked into what apparently wasn’t just Derek’s house, but the ‘Hale Pack House’. Derek’s shoulders slumped as he rubbed his lips, a show of nerves. He hadn’t gotten a solid read on where he and Stiles stood since everything had happened. He didn’t know if Stiles hated him right now, was just overwhelmed – it was killing Derek, the not-knowing, because his heart was slowly breaking at the thought that they might no longer be together. But should he say something, to reinforce his feelings to Stiles? Or was that pushing too much, and it should actually be Derek giving him his space to adjust to this life-changing event?

Derek felt so lost, he’d never been in this position before. God he wished his mom was around to talk to. Not only would she give him advice he desperately needed right now, but she could provide it as a mom _and_ his alpha. No other relationship, save his first, had him ever thinking long-term enough to bring that person into his world. He’d never felt that deep longing, that sense that the other person completed him. It sounded cliché as hell, but it was very true with Stiles.

“Hey, um. Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. I, I feel really weird right now. Like I’m ready to rip someone’s face off at the slightest thing,” Stiles said. Derek could feel the tension rolling of him in waves.

“It’s the full moon. You’re nearing your first transformation, and because you were turned so close to the full moon the effects are heightened.” Derek said, standing across the room from Stiles.

“That’s a thing, huh? Full moons? Am I going to go on a rampage and eat people?” Stiles tried to say it jokingly, but it fell flat, and they both knew it.

“You’ll find people tend to be a bit gamey. We mostly stick to rabbits.”

Stiles choked, then tried to cover it up by coughing. “Oh my god. I thought you were serious for a second,” he said when he saw the small tilt to Derek’s lips. Derek wasn’t looking at him, instead looking at the floor while he crammed his hands into his pockets. “You’re not serious, right?”

“Not about the people, no. But Erica likes to catch rabbits. It’s mostly about the chase, I think.” Derek replied. “So, um, do you want a tour? I think you’ve only ever seen the living room, bedroom and kitchen.”

Stiles felt himself blush, he was well acquainted with Derek’s fabulous bedroom. He’d never scoped out the rest of the house though. Derek motioned Stiles to follow as he began to show him the rest of the place, the bedrooms that Stiles had assumed were just guest rooms that the other pack members stayed in some times, other bathrooms, the usual. Then he unlocked a non-descript door that Stiles had seen but just assumed was a closet door.

“This leads down to the basement. I’m going to try and not freak you out, but you’ll spend the full moon down here with me, and possibly Isaac. New wolves have a hard time controlling themselves on the full moon and can be dangerous, not only to themselves but to others. So we bring them down here and secure them while I help them through it.”

Derek walked them into what he called the holding area but that the others referred to as the ‘dungeon’. Derek didn’t think it was that bad, he’d tried to furnish it to make it not feel medieval. While the walls were reinforced concrete and bare (no point in painting when out of control claws tended to just shred the paint), there were throw rugs, table and chairs and a bed for whoever stayed with the wolf, as well as a half bath. There was no way to “Martha Stewart” up the shackles attached to the wall, but what could you do. There was also a padded cot for a secured wolf to lay on, although Derek found in was rarely used.

“Wow, uh, homey. Love what you’ve done with the place,” Stiles said, and Derek was grateful for the sarcastic comment. Better than the lifeless, flat voice he’d been sporting. “So I’m going to assume the chains are for me?”

Derek nodded at Stiles, then asked him to sit.

“Yeah, I know it looks kind of barbaric, but there’s a reason for it. When you change you’re going to be incredibly powerful. Your strength will triple, your senses will go crazy. Sight, smell, hearing will all be intense. You should be starting to notice them being heightened already. It will be worse on the full moon. We shackle a new wolf so that he can’t hurt himself or anyone else. I stay down here with them, and in this case you, because as alpha I can control you. I will help you to find your anchor, and once you discover it you’ll find that your anchor helps keep you in control of your wolf. It may take several full moons to discover and master your control, it might not. Each person is different.”

Stiles nodded as Derek spoke, finding that his calm tone and just sitting here looking at everything was helping to relieve his anxiety. He also noticed photos on the walls, some of the pack members he’d met, others he didn’t know. There were pictures of a younger Derek with a couple of women who looked remarkably like him.

“How long did it take you to do all this, the anchor thing?” Stiles asked as he got up and began to look closer at the framed photos hung on the wall.

“Actually I’m a little different. I was born this way, not bitten. When we hit puberty our wolves present and that is when we struggle the most with control. It’s challenging, dealing with a new wolf with the added issue of hormones. But I spent my time here chained with my mom, learning to control my wolf.”

“Your mom?”

Stiles noted the sad look that fell over Derek’s face, and remembered his mom passing was the reason for him moving back to Beacon Hills. “Yeah, my mom was the alpha of our pack. So she spent time with all of us down here when our changes happened. She taught me to find my anchor and my control. When she died, her role as alpha was passed on to me, and now I spend time down here helping others through their first change.”

Stiles had turned back to look at Derek and leaned against the wall, playing with his fingers and trying to make sense of what he was feeling matched up to what Derek was saying. He had noticed that he could hear and smell better, which was such an odd thing. It was disconcerting to hear people talking that you couldn’t see.

“I know this is a lot, especially pulling you out of your own home. But we really need to keep you out of public eye for a while. I was able to downplay your injuries as not being as serious as we thought. The medics that brought you in aren’t an issue, they didn’t know you, you were just another vic. But obviously you walking around completely healed will raise too many questions. Your dad has told anyone who asks that you’re recovering in a secured safe house due to the threat made on you and Colin. So that should help. Your dad should be here soon with Colin and his things. And we’ll make sure he sees nothing that goes on down here. This basement is completely soundproof.”

“OK,” Stiles said, as he chewed his thumb. It had been bleeding all day from the constant chewing Stiles was doing to it, but it was a tough habit to break. He could see Derek jiggling his legs, which was unusual. Stiles could also, now that he was noticing, _smell_ Derek. He took a long breath in through his nose and closed his eyes. It was so weird to smell all these different scents. Derek smelled good, like the woods, with a hint of something spicy. But, there was something else, something slightly bitter. He tried to pinpoint it, wondering why he smelled so damn good but had an overlaying scent that wasn’t pleasant. When he opened his eyes, the bitter smell still in his nose, and looked at Derek, he could see the nervousness and realized that was what the smell was.

Derek offered him a smile, and asked if he had any questions. Stiles shook his head but began to pace. He felt alone, despite being surrounded by the pack, the uncertainty of his predicament was hard to deal with. And unlike most things, he couldn’t Google this. Couldn’t research the fuck out of it to figure out how to deal with all of this. All of this shit that wasn’t even supposed to be real. He’d been trying to box things up in his mind and shove them in the back where he could ignore them. But now each box was being pulled open and he was realizing he was going to have to deal, was going to have to accept this was all indeed very real.

“..iles, you ok?”

Stiles had to accept he was some kind of creature now. How the hell was he supposed to explain this to his son? Was he allowed to? Would Colin be afraid of him if he did find out? Fuck, what if those assclowns who tortured him got to his son? How was he supposed to deal with a bunch of supernatural creatures to keep his very human four year old son safe? Colin was his world, if anything happened to his sweet boy it would kill him.

He could dimly hear someone saying his name as his breathing had sped up much too fast and much too shallow. He knew he was in the throes of a panic attack but he felt helpless to fight it. As he began to hyperventilate he was suddenly being cradled by strong arms and that heavenly forest scent. Derek enveloped him and tucked Stiles’ head into his neck so that his scent would help calm him. While he normally reserved his Alpha voice for certain situations he felt like this was a good time to use. He spoke calmly to Stiles while holding him tight, just speaking soothing words to him to help guide him through his attack. He knew Stiles had broken down a little bit with Erica, but he had a feeling that had just been an appetizer. Stiles didn’t do most things lightly. He loved hard, worked hard, fought hard. Derek figured he would break hard yet would come out even stronger than before. Derek felt almost certain that as a wolf Stiles would be a force to be reckoned with. Once he accepted all of this, he would dive head first into his new life.

As Stiles’ breathing began to even out the hitching breaths began to melt into whines and then into cries. Derek just held him tightly, rocking him slightly and continued to talk to him, this time in his normal voice. He wanted to be more than Stiles’ alpha, and he would show Stiles that. So he held the man in his arms while he cried it out, and Derek had a feeling this would end up being a kind of catharsis for Stiles. After a few minutes the cries began to lessen and Stiles pushed himself back, wiping at his face, but not making Derek release him.

“Derek, god. I’m so fucking scared. Not only of all of this werewolf stuff, but everything else. It’s what those bastards did to me, all of the horrible things they said to me. The things they said they’d do to my b-boy, my little boy. Who does shit like that? How evil are you to threaten the things they did about Colin? And the things they said about you and my dad, all while slicing me up. That fucker, Ennis, kept telling me how he smelled you on me that day in the street, and how I must be your whore because you’d never told me about yourself, and how you would drop me like used Kleenex and then all the things he would do to hurt you and make you suffer before killing you and I kept seeing these images in my head as he spoke while he slashed me up and I just didn’t know what to do and I thought I was going to die and..and..”

“Stiles, stop. Breathe. Take a breath with me.” Derek put a hand on Stiles’ chest, trying to get him to calm down again from the panicked babbling. He made eye contact with him and exaggerated his breathing to get Stiles to sync with him. It took another few minutes but finally Stiles began to calm.

“First of all, absolutely nothing will happen to Colin. He has a very large pack now that will protect him. And you. And, despite the upheaval of this entire situation, you’re about to discover your capacity to protect him and your dad has been greatly enhanced.”

Derek cupped Stiles’ cheeks, trying to wipe the tears away as they fell. He focused on his bond and sent soothing vibes to Stiles, hoping it would help. Stiles took a huge, shuddering breath in as new tears fell. “All I could think about was losing you and Colin. Never getting to see you guys ever again. Then hoping that you would take Colin and love him as much as me. I don’t ever want to lose my son, Derek. I don’t ever want to lose you, I don’t know what I would do.”

Derek felt the weight of a thousand worlds lift from him as Stiles spoke and he enveloped him once again, even tighter. When he broke the hug he leaned in and captured Stiles in a passionate kiss, pouring all of his feelings into the kiss, his own fears but even more so his bottomless love for Stiles. Stiles reached up to wrap his fingers around Derek’s neck, pulling him in deeper and sucking on his bottom lip. When they finally broke apart Stiles nuzzled into Derek’s neck again, breathing deep.

“God Derek, I love you so fucking much. And I have no idea why I’m sniffing your neck but it smells so good, I think I’m getting high from it.”

Derek laughed, relishing the feel of his mate in his arms. He kissed Stiles again, whispered ‘I love you Stiles’ to him, then led him back upstairs. The Sheriff and Colin arrived a few minutes later and when Derek noticed how tired and spent Stiles looked from everything that had happened downstairs, he suggested a nap. Stiles readily agreed, especially when Colin said he wanted to nap with his daddy. Derek tucked them both into what would be Stiles’ bed for the foreseeable future, kissed them both on the forehead and turned off the light. He was pretty sure Stiles was asleep, arm around his son and tucked into his chest, before he even left the room.

Derek headed back out to the Sheriff, helped unload the cruiser and told the Sheriff Stiles was going to be ok.

* * *

 

“AHFUCK! Derek what is happening to me?!”

Stiles slammed forward, the chains halting his movement. He thrashed hard, hard enough that if he had been a normal human he probably would have dislocated his shoulders. He’d managed his beta shift two hours ago and Derek couldn’t help but think how good he looked. His eyes were a deep gold, deeper than the other betas, with the same dark ring that his human eyes had. It was unusual, most betas had plain gold eyes. Derek thought they were the most beautiful beta eyes he’d ever seen. He was panting hard and sweating profusely as he morphed from whines to growls to whimpers and back again.

“Come on Stiles, focus. I know it’s hard. Picture Colin, see him in your head. See him giving you the little Colin hugs he gives you when you’re upset. Think about how much you love it when he does that for you.”

Stiles let out a deafening roar as he threw himself against the chains again. “Focus Stiles, you can do it!” Derek yelled.

“Fuck you Derek! I am focusing! This is all your fault!” Stiles snarled and snapped his fangs at Derek. “You did this to me! GAHHHHHH!!!! I swear to god if you tell me to focus one more time I will rip your fucking balls off with my teeth and stuff them up your nose!”

Derek bit his lip to keep from laughing, he wasn’t stupid. It was a good thing he’d done this before with his other betas or he’d be taking some of this personally. As it was he knew it was just the pain speaking. It was just past midnight, the moon was high, and it was the toughest part of the night. Derek figured he had about another two hours before things started to ease up.

Stiles continued to thrash against his chains violently, cursing and growling. His eyes were glowing bright and were zeroed in on Derek like he was prey and Stiles wanted the kill. When his growls began to deepen into an even more threatening manner, Derek decided it was time to bring out the alpha to get him back down. He let his eyes go red and let his fangs drop as he made eye contact and refused to break it.

“ **Stiles, enough! Stand down!** ” He growled, voice deep with command. Stiles just growled louder, and he was pointedly refusing to break eye contact. At this point Derek knew he was being challenged, whether Stiles realized it or not. But regardless, Stiles needed to submit to Derek now or it would become a problem later on. He let himself shift into his beta form and commanded Stiles again.

“ **STILES! Submit to me, now!** ” He growled, getting into Stiles’ face and trying to crowd him, asserting his dominance over his beta.

Stiles had other ideas however, refusing to back down at his alpha’s command. He let out roar and told him to fuck off, and still he refused to break eye contact. Derek felt his wolf’s confusion as Stiles refused to submit, he could feel him pacing as he warred between wanting to know why Stiles wouldn’t submit and the anger at being challenged by not only a lower ranking wolf, but a new one at that.

The answering roar from the Alpha was long and loud, rattling the picture frames on the wall. Derek had never issued such a roar before, had never had to. He could feel himself growing larger as he began to shift into his alpha form. Had the basement not been soundproofed his roar would have been heard for miles. As his roar ended he kicked his leg out, sweeping Stiles off his feet and forcing him down onto his knees, hard. He wrapped a clawed hand around his throat as he snapped his fangs centimeters from Stiles’ face.

“ **SUBMIT!** ”

Stiles continued to look up at Derek, pure hatred on his face. He continued to refuse to break eye contact but he finally sunk a little lower on his knees. Somewhere deep inside Derek realized this was the best he was going to get. There wasn’t going to be any neck baring from Stiles. He would lower himself and submit while at the same time telling Derek to go fuck himself.

Derek made a split decision then, running upstairs and returning a few minutes later with Isaac. Stiles was still pacing and fighting his chains and growled when the two men walked back in. “Isaac, I’m going to need your help. He’s having a tough time submitting, his anger level is too high. I don’t know what’s causing it.”

Isaac could see it. Stiles was still very agitated, whether from the forced submission or just the entire first transformation, he had no idea. But he knew he could help. Isaac got down onto his knees in front of Stiles, out of claw range of course. He bared his neck and kept his eyes on the floor and just sat there, hands in his lap. He didn’t say a word and just focused on letting his presence calm the other wolf. About ten minutes later he noticed that Stiles had calmed quite a bit and was trying to get closer to Isaac. After looking at Derek and getting a nod, he scooted closer to Stiles so that he could reach him. Stiles immediately moved over and crouched down and buried his nose into Isaac’s neck and began to scent him. Isaac couldn’t help but revel in the snuffling sounds Stiles made and he slowly brought a hand up to Stiles’ neck to offer comfort. Stiles stiffened and backed away, but not too far. Isaac finally looked at him and his eyes widened at the sight of Stiles. He was beautiful in this form, but it was his eyes that caught him.

“Derek, what’s with his eyes?” He asked quietly as he watched Stiles’ nostrils flare as he scented the room. He’d calmed down considerably since scenting Isaac, and Derek figured it was a good time to continue his work.

“Yeah, we’ll talk about that later,” was all Derek said in response. He walked up to Stiles, who had ended up sitting on the floor, leaning back against the wall.

“Okay Stiles, think of Colin. Picture being wrapped in his arms, and how it centers you. You can feel the waves of calm flowing through him into you, settling your wolf. When those arms wrap around you your wolf is calm, happy, at peace.”

Derek kept up the talking, working Stiles through it. It took an hour and half of continued talking and coaching as Stiles fought the change before it seemed like he was getting a handle on it. At 1:30 a.m. Derek saw Stiles shift from his beta back to human and Stiles immediately collapsed onto the floor in exhaustion. Derek ran over to him with water and a protein bar, taking advantage of his shift in order to get him rehydrated.

“Here, drink. All of it, you need it.” Derek held the bottle up so Stiles could drink, and when he finished it Derek offered him the protein bar. Stiles made a face, grumping at the fact it was peanut butter flavored, but ate it quickly. When it was finished Derek held him. “You did good Stiles, really good. You took control of your wolf and shifted back. It’ll get easier from here. I’m proud of you.”

Stiles let out a breath as he nuzzled into Derek, completely limp. “Oh my god Derek, I’m so fucking tired. And sore. I wonder if this is what child birth is like for chicks.” Derek laughed this time, but kissed the side of Stiles’ head. “Well I’m afraid I wouldn’t know. Why don’t you lay down, try and get some sleep. When you wake up we’ll work some more. The pull of the moon will be easing up as it wanes, so you should be able to shift when you want to. Tomorrow night will be tough again, but not as extreme as tonight.”

Stiles agreed that a nap sounded glorious and let Derek help him over to the cot. He laid down as Derek piled blankets on top, then brought over another large bottle of water and a couple of protein bars. “They’re chocolate this time,” Derek said. But Stiles was already sound asleep, so Derek kissed him one more time, nuzzled his neck, then made his way over to the other cot. He thanked Isaac for his help and told him to go to bed. He’d earned his rest as well. He climbed into the bed and pulled up the blankets and turned so that he could see Stiles. He was finally beginning to feel like things might actually be ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's been reading, I hope you're enjoying this as much as me!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Stiles' first shift raises some questions, and Stiles meets Derek's twin sister Laura.

 

The next morning, late morning actually, Stiles found himself surrounded by pack in the living room as well as his dad and Colin. Stiles was still dead tired, experiencing an exhaustion the likes of which he’d never been subjected to. His skin felt tight as he rubbed a stubble-covered face. He hadn’t had time to shave since he slept right up until the rest of the pack arrived. He felt tense, his muscles were tight and there was an unsettled feeling about him but he was unable to pinpoint the cause or source. He’d tried to talk to Derek earlier about how the night had gone, but Derek told him they’d go over it later, after the pack got together. So there he sat, on the couch with the rest of the pack. Colin was curled up in his lap playing a game on Stiles’ cell phone. Erica was sitting next to Stiles making faces at Colin, trying to make him laugh. Unfortunately she was only rewarded with a quirked eye brow from the little imp. It didn’t seem to stop her though, and she vowed she’d get a smile out of him by the end of the day. Stiles knew that he was feeling uneasy with the strangers surrounding him, so Stiles was making a point of introducing everyone to Colin.

“Someone’s coming Derek,” Scott piped up, and sure enough the pack perked up, even Stiles. He could faintly hear a car coming up the road to the house. Derek was in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee in an awkward silence with the Sheriff. They certainly wouldn’t be BFFs anytime soon, but they seemed to have developed an unspoken truce, for now. It certainly didn’t prevent the side looks the Sheriff was giving Derek, however.

“Yeah, it’s Laura and Ben. She got in earlier to town, wanted her to meet Stiles.” Derek said casually. He hadn’t really talked about his family to Stiles, just in vague moments. But the Hale pack had a new beta and Derek wanted to completely bring Stiles into it. “Cora will be here tomorrow.”

When Stiles lifted an eyebrow in question to Derek, Derek gave a shy smile to him. “I’m about to unleash my twin sister on you.” Stiles looked around the pack, wondering if there was something he was missing. Erica was smirking, Scott laughed, Isaac looked nervous and Boyd, well Boyd was Boyd.

“Um, ok?” He had a feeling maybe there was something to this Laura person, and he felt like there was an inside joke going around but he was not in on it.

The car had pulled up to the front entry and the ignition was killed. A second later there was the sound of a door opening and closing, then a minute later another door was opened and closed and there was the immediate sound of kid chatter.

The front door bounded open and there was yelled “Derek! Where the hell is this new beta of yours?” This was followed by a flash of a small body flying into the room before it launched at full speed into Scott, knocking the wolf over and off the ottoman he was sitting on.

The sound of high heels came clacking on the hardwood floors before a woman strode into the room like she owned it. Stiles couldn’t help the intake of breath. The woman was gorgeous, even to his men-only brain. She was tall, lithe and had long silky looking black hair. Wearing a dark blue Stella McCartney wrap dress and Louboutin heels, she looked like a million bucks. Stiles tore his eyes away for a second to look over at Scott who had righted himself and was mock-wrestling with a moppy headed boy of about five who was giggling and squealing as Scott tickled him.

“Ahh, so this is Stiles?” Stiles’ eyes snapped back to the woman and he felt almost compelled when he replied with a ‘yes ma’am’. She strode right up to him and offered her hand, and once Stiles had pried his hands out of Coin’s grip (Colin had gone rigid, wondering who the hell this scary woman was), he shook her hand.

“Stiles Stilinski, Beacon Hills Sheriff’s deputy, boyfriend to my brother,” She turned to Derek, “I’m assuming he’s still your boyfriend? You didn’t screw that up did you?” She turned back to Stiles when Derek blushed and ducked his head, “Hopefully still my brother’s boyfriend or I may just have to kick some furry butts, and the newest Hale beta. I’m Laura Hale, this douche-bag’s twin sister. I’m the better half, by the way.”

“Um, ok.” Stiles wasn’t sure whether to laugh, cry, or go hide in the corner. “Nice to meet you. I think. Yeah, you’re just a little bit scary to be honest.”

Laura let out a bark of laughter before she grinned at her brother. “I like him Derek. He’s cute. And something tells me that despite this introduction he’s probably going to be a lot of fun. That’s Ben, my son. Scott is his favorite. And who is this cutie?” Laura suddenly kicked her heels off and tossed them off to the side, making Stiles wince. While not exactly an expert on women’s fashion he knew the brand of shoes she was wearing by the red soles and knew that it was probably close to fifteen hundred dollars-worth of shoes she’d tossed to the floor.

Stiles looked down to his son who was eye-balling Laura so intently that Stiles was wondering if there was some kind of unintentional challenge being issued by his four year old to the wolf. “This is Colin, my son. He’s four. I’m his favorite.” Stiles almost let out a ‘dude, really?’ at the sound of his son making a ‘pfft’ sound, as if to refute Stiles’ claim of favoritism. Laura laughed again as she sat on the floor, still staring down the little boy. “Colin, can you stop giving Miss Laura the stink-eye and say hi? She’s Derek’s sister.”

“Girls are gross dad. Do I have to say hi?” Stiles tried to hide the grin but then noticed everyone in the room was laughing. “Yes Colin, despite girl cooties you have to say hi. And be nice young man.” Colin turned his stink-eye to the side to nail his dad, who obviously did not understand the truly vile nature of girl cooties, but did as he was told and said hi to the woman in front of him.

“Oh my god Derek, please tell me you two are still together. Seriously, or I will have to shackle you two together and torture you, because these two are absolutely perfect for you.”

“Laura, please, for the love of god back off,” Derek said, half laughing and half cringing. “We’re working through this together. Stiles,” Derek paused, not wanting to reveal too much in front of Colin, who was still clueless on the supernatural, “Stiles just had his world turned upside down. But yes, we’re still together,” Derek couldn’t help the inflection on the end of the last word as he looked at Stiles. While getting him through his first moon had made him feel better about their situation, the fact was feelings had been uttered at the height of an emotional time. They really hadn’t discussed the status of their relationship. But as he looked at Stiles and saw the nod and small smile, he felt himself go lighter and smiled back.

Laura clapped her hands and jumped up. “Good. Now that that’s sorted we can get to the important stuff.” She turned to Derek with a raised eyebrow, as if to tell him to get moving. Derek may be the Hale Alpha but his sister was just as dominant.

“Laura stop being so bossy. You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?” He chuckled to her as he poked her in the butt. “But yes, it is time for a pack meeting.” Before anyone could say anything, Ben ran over to Colin and asked him if he wanted to go upstairs and play with the Legos. Stiles felt torn, he figured Colin shouldn’t be around to hear what was going to be said, but at the same time he really didn’t know these people and didn’t want Colin out of his sight.

“Why don’t I come play with you guys?” The Sheriff said, not about to let his grandson out of his sight either. “Maybe we can build something really cool, huh Colin?” Colin looked to his dad, then his Grandpa, wondering what was going on. He knew something was happening but didn’t know what. Stupid grownups, he thought. When Stiles told him to go with Grandpa, Colin begrudgingly climbed out of his dad’s lap and took John’s hand. Ben had already raced upstairs and was dumping out what sounded like a metric ton of Legos onto the floor. The sound seemed really loud and shrill to Stiles, causing him to wince.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” Erica whispered to him, smiling. “And don’t worry about Ben, he’s a good kid.” Stiles just offered a wan smile. He was sure Ben was a good kid, but Stiles didn’t know him. But his dad was up there, and he was armed, and Stiles figured he could take on a five year old if needbe. Not that a five year old would probably do anything, but with the way Stiles’ world was changing around him he wasn’t going to discount anything right now.

“Right. Let’s get started. We have a serious issue to deal with,” Derek spoke up. He was still leaning against the counter as his sister squeezed next to Stiles on the couch, making him scoot closer to Erica and suddenly feel trapped. Derek gave Laura a look telling her to cool it and give Stiles some space. She let out a huff before getting up and falling into an armchair instead.

“Deucalion has worked his way into Beacon Hills and apparently is neck deep into something. He’s the one who kidnapped and hurt Stiles. He’s also threatened to kill his son.”

Those of the pack who didn’t know about this gasped in shock. To kill a child was horrendous, especially to a werewolf. Children were considered the best part of a pack, they were the future for a pack, something to be protected and cherished at all costs.

“What the hell man? Who is this asshole?” Scott asked.

Laura piped up, “He’s the Alpha of the Northern Pack. I did some digging into him when Derek called me about all of this. He killed his own pack, then began to court other alpha’s, telling them to kill their packs and join his. He’s created a pack of all alphas.”

Everyone in the room began to murmur, there was confusion, anger and fear. Most of the fear was coming from Stiles as he sat in the corner of the couch. He was looking at the floor and chewing on his thumb. Isaac began to get slightly agitated and wanted to comfort Stiles, but he wasn’t sure what to do. He looked to Stiles, then to Derek, silently asking if he should move. Derek honestly didn’t know. Any other situation it would’ve been a no brainer, the new beta would know how Isaac’s role in the pack worked and would welcome him over. Stiles? He had no clue how he would react. When Erica got up to get some water Isaac took the opportunity and moved to the couch, next to Stiles but with some space between them.

“Yeah, so we have an unusual situation. Obviously an all alpha pack is very abnormal and I think we can all agree that not only do they not work like a normal pack, but that they probably are not following traditional pack rules. What I do know is this – they took Stiles, tortured him with the intention of killing him, then dumped him at the Sheriff’s station with a note telling me to back off, or that they would go after his son as well. I’m fairly sure they believe he is dead. I don’t know if that works for, or against, us. Stiles was working on a case that involved the alpha pack, and that is what got him onto their radar. But despite being together, I never pressed for details on his case, not wanting to breach any kind of conduct.”

“You know, in case you forgot, Stiles is in the room and can speak as well.” When everyone turned to look at him, as if yes, they had indeed forgotten he was there, he shrugged. “I can fill you in on the details of the case, what few there are.”

“That would probably be helpful,” Laura said. Stiles honestly couldn’t read her at the moment, he had no idea if she was being snarky or sincere. Derek growled at her and flashed his eyes, his annoyance at her spiking. When she ducked her head and bared her neck with a soft apology, Derek looked over to Stiles.

“I didn’t want to push you on this, I don’t know what the rules are when it concerns a case and the public. It could be the same as doctor-patient confidentiality for all I know. But, if you can tell us something it would probably help.”

Stiles looked between Derek and his sister, wondering at her reaction to her brother’s growl, and wondered at his own pull when he saw Derek’s eyes flash. He had no idea what it was that had just happened. Was there some kind of weird werewolf manners or something? He needed a freaking instruction manual. Isaac, sitting next to him, was looking down and his head was tilted to the side as well.

“OK, so I don’t know what the fuck all of that was,” Stiles said, waggling his hands at Derek, Laura and Isaac, “but yeah I can fill you in. So really, all I had before they, uh, took me, was a lead on the murder of the herbal store owner, Chin. It took some time and doing to get the wife and grand-daughter to spill, but they finally told me what had been stolen. There were some very illegal animal parts and then some kind of flower, wolfsblood? No, bane, yeah, wolfsbane. I had someone translate the Chinese characters for me but the wife finally told me that it was the wolfsbane that was taken. I had no idea why they would want a flower, it didn’t seem to have much use in the drug trade. Then when I saw the guy, the one who passed me and Parrish on the street, I knew I had seen him on the video of Chin being killed. He was also the one that worked on me when they took me.”

Stiles couldn’t help the shiver that passed through him as bits of images of Ennis ripping into him passed through his mind. After a minute he realized the room was silent and when he looked up Derek looked concerned and was pacing in the kitchen. “Sooo yeah, that’s kinda it. Other than that there was the video of the owner being killed. You only see Ennis and part of what I now know is Deucalion in it. There’s no sound though.” Stiles looked around and could see that Laura also looked concerned, Scott seemed pensive along with the other betas. “Did I say something helpful? Why the sour looks?”

Derek and Laura shared some non-verbal thoughts between them, as if talking to each other without actually talking. Must be a twin thing, Stiles thought. Derek scratched at his jawline before rubbing his hand down his throat. Stiles totally wasn’t staring.

“The fact that Deucalion is willing to kill someone in cold blood for wolfsbane is worrisome.” There were supporting murmurs in the room, but Stiles wasn’t sure what for.

“What is wolfsbane? Why is this important?” Stiles asked. He was trying to remember what he’d read on it, then remembered reading about it being used in the old days to kill wolves. As understanding dawned on him, (at least a little bit. A bullet to the head could kill a wolf too, so why was a flower causing so much concern?), Derek answered.

“It’s a flower that when dried and especially powdered, is very deadly to werewolves. I don’t know why I didn’t put this all together before now. Dammnit!” Derek slammed a hand down on the counter in anger. At the raised eyebrows of most of the room’s occupants Derek elaborated.

“I’d heard rumors floating around the grapevine that there was a way to weaponize wolfsbane. That hunters were trying to figure out a way to release it in a widespread manner to hit as many targets as possible. Most people I’ve talked to though say it’s all bullshit, that there’s no way to do it.”

“Do you think Deucalion has found a way to produce a weaponized version of wolfsbane? For what purpose Derek?” Laura asked, all hints of her earlier joking gone and replaced with a tone that was part anger, part fear and part disgust.

Derek slumped a little as he looked at his sister. He suddenly seemed young and unsure. “I don’t know Lo. But why does an alpha want a pack of other alphas? We’ve all heard the tales of Deucalion and how slightly unhinged he is. I don’t know why he would kill someone for it. Hell he could grow his own plants somewhere in the forest and no one would ever know. But I can’t help but think he’s up to something, otherwise why try to kill Stiles and threaten his son and the pack to keep us away?”

As Derek and the rest of the pack continued to discuss theories on what Deucalion was up to Stiles let his mind drift. This was all beyond him, he had no idea how all of this worked and let himself ignore them. He thought back to last night and tried to remember what happened. He couldn’t remember specific things. It was mostly emotions and feelings that he could remember. It had seemed like he was angry a good part of the night, and he had no idea why. He was hoping later on Derek could walk him through what had happened so that maybe tonight would be easier. Maybe something had gone wrong, and that’s why Derek hadn’t wanted to talk yet and why he felt so tense. He knew he had shifted and back and couldn’t help but wonder what he looked like. He’d seen Derek shift for him, to show him what he looked like. He wondered if he looked similar. He was kind of hoping he’d be more lucid tonight.

He knew the pack, except for Derek and Isaac had all been over last night and been out in the preserve running. They had kept clear of the house so that the Sheriff could stay with Colin without the boy seeing anything, but Boyd had stuck close to the house to make sure no one approached the house while his alpha was preoccupied.

Stiles hadn’t realized he’d fallen asleep on the couch until he woke with a start when someone grabbed his arm. Jesus, did he just growl? When his eyes focused he saw Scott in front of him, patting his arm to wake him. “Easy dude, just wanted to wake you up. We’re going to go out for lunch, you coming?”

Stiles sat up, rubbing a hand down his face. He looked around and noticed most everyone had gotten up and moved out of the room. Erica and Isaac were outside messing around and when he focused he could hear Derek in another room talking to someone on the phone, and it sounded like Laura, his dad and the boys were still upstairs.

“Um yeah, sure. Shit sorry I fell asleep.” Scott just smiled at him. They’d all been in the same position. “No worries, we’ve all done it. The first shift takes it out of you. And yours was a rough one. It’s no wonder you needed a nap.” Stiles stood up and stretched and noticed the clock on the stove showed he’d been asleep for two hours.

“Wow, way to make an impression at my first pack meeting,” Stiles said lowly. “It’s like high school all over again and sleeping through chemistry.”

Scott just laughed again and slapped him lightly on the back, telling him to seriously not worry about it. They’d have been more surprised had he not crashed. Stiles made his way upstairs to see what kind of trouble the Stilinski men were creating with the Hales and saw a humongous Lego creation had been made. Ben and Colin were actually playing together while Laura sat on the floor building her own little thing and his dad stood with his back to the wall and arms crossed. Stiles couldn’t help but realize his dad was guarding his grandson.

When John saw his son walk in he relaxed slightly and asked him how the meeting went. Stiles snorted, telling him he slept through it. John chuckled and then teased him about his knack for less than stellar first impressions.

“You know me so well pop,” Stiles joked.


	15. Chapter 15

Derek ended his phone call without any new information, which was fucking typical when it came to the pack emissary. Why his mother had thought so highly of the man was beyond him. Alan Deaton was the only man Derek knew who could talk in half-truths and riddles and leave you with more questions than when you started. It seemed to be beyond the man to just be straightforward with his information.

When his laptop finished booting up Derek clicked on the icon for the security system on the house. He navigated the folders, skipping the ones having to do with the outside perimeter and interior alarms and went to the encrypted and heavily passworded folder containing the video feed from the basement. He clicked on the file with last night’s date on and waited for the program to open and load the video.

When it finished loading he fast-forwarded through the majority of it until he came to just before the midnight mark. Hitting play he sat back and watched himself working with Stiles as he fought through his change. He watched as he commanded Stiles to submit to him, and Stiles refusal. He rewound and re-watched a few times, studying everything but mostly Stiles’ body language as he faced off with Derek. At the 00:47:09 mark he paused the video then clicked on the icon to zoom in on Stiles’ still face, fangs out and eyes glowing.

And Derek just stared at the blood orange eyes rimmed in deep crimson and wondered what the fuck was going on.

* * *

 

By the end of lunch Stiles was an utter mess. He felt like he had overdosed on his Adderall while at the same time biting his tongue to keep from snapping at people. They had gone to a small diner nearby and everything had seemed fine at first. Derek had stayed home, claiming he needed to make phone calls and arrange his time off from the hospital. He had sent strict orders with them though to keep an eye on Stiles and to get him home quickly if needed. It was the night after a full moon so the pull would still be strong for Stiles.

But Stiles kept his mouth closed, not wanting to disrupt what had turned into a fun time out with everyone. Colin and Ben seemed to have become friendly and were drawing super hero fights on their paper mats with crayons from the diner. His father sat across from Stiles and next to Colin, watching over his two boys while everyone else ate and talked and goofed around. About an hour and a half into lunch was when the tremors in his hand started, so he quickly kept them under the table. He finished his food quickly so that he had no reason for his hands to be above the table any longer than needed, but then began to feel sick from eating so fast. Erica sat on his other side and kept bumping into him as she flung food at Scott. Everyone tried to include Stiles in whatever they were talking about, and he had contributed up until the tremors began.

Now he sat back, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. He should probably ask one of the pack members if this was normal, but he couldn’t seem to bring himself to do it. He began to feel warm, the weird inside warm feeling you get when you think you might pass out from something. He remembers getting that feeling as a teenager when he would get really sick. He would throw up so hard from whatever stomach bug he had at the time and then want to lay on the tile floor next to the toilet because he felt really hot and light headed. That was the feeling he had now. He gripped the sides of his chair tightly like he might fall off. He was about to tell Scott or Erica or anyone, really, that something was wrong when Erica took hold of him.

“Woah Stiles, you okay? Scott, something’s wrong,” she called to the man. Stiles had clenched his eyes shut as a wave of anger hit him, and when Scott pulled his chair out so that he could get in front of him Stiles lashed out.

“Get the fuck away from me Scott.”

The Sheriff, not having a clue what was going on, quickly caught Colin’s attention and at a look from Scott that said to get the boy out of the area, suggested they go to the bathroom and clean up their dirty hands and John quickly steered the boy out before he could wonder what was wrong with his dad.

“Scott, what’s going on? It’s still too early in the day for there to be any issues with the moon,” Isaac whispered as he got in next to Stiles. Scott shook his head, not having an answer.

“Erica, why don’t you call Derek, tell him we have a situation. We need to get Stiles calmed a bit and then get him out of here. Stiles, man, can you tell me what’s going on?” Scott could smell a myriad of things wafting off the man, most of which made no sense for a newly turned wolf. Scott could see that Stiles had shifted enough for his claws to pop because they were embedded into the wood of the chair.

Scott put his hand on Stiles’ thigh as he crouched down in front of the chair as when it made contact Stiles let out a low warning growl. “Get. Away. From. Me.” Scott was alarmed when he saw Stiles’ fangs had descended. Scott removed his hand quickly and he could hear Erica talking to Derek on the phone and her lowly spoken, “Derek hurry up, I think this is about to go south fast.”

“Stiles, open your eyes and look at me. We need to get you calmed down. We’re in public and you’re beginning to shift. I can’t get you out of here like this. Please.” Scott was at a loss, he knew this could turn into a massive disaster fast. If it came down to it he would grab Stiles and race them out of the restaurant as fast as possible, but he didn’t want to cause a commotion. Thankfully they were in a back area of the diner, so there was no one around their table, but the front of the place was packed. Boyd and Erica had taken up a defensive position off in front of their table, warding off the waitress any time she came over to check on them. Scott and Isaac huddled near Stiles, trying to figure out what the hell was happening.

Stiles, for his part, was seriously freaking out on the inside. He was completely overwhelmed with sights, sounds and smells. He could smell the fucking cook inside the kitchen for god sakes! Everyone was talking at the same time and over each other and he refused to open his eyes and be attacked by the visuals of all of this. At the same time his emotions were on overdrive, he felt anxious and on edge again, with intense pulls of needing to get to his alpha, while at the same time a resistance to actually getting to him. It was like he was being pulled between two invisible people, one telling him he had to get to his alpha right now, and the other one telling him hell no, you stay right here. Add to that his own mind wondering if maybe something was going wrong with him being a werewolf, like maybe his mind or his body was trying to reject it or something. Not that he had any freaking idea about how any of that worked. And for some reason he was feeling threatened by Scott’s presence and he wanted the other man far away from him.

“I-Isaac?” He stammered. “Help me, I don’t – I don’t know what’s happening,” he said with a whimper. Isaac respectfully pushed Scott off to the side and moved in between Stiles’ legs and leaned in so that Stiles’ nose was in his neck, letting his scent wash over Stiles. “Shh, Stiles, it’s ok. Remember working on your anchor? Picture your anchor enveloping you and feel the calmness come over you…”

“Scott? Stiles? What the hell happened?”

Derek strode in, already in alpha mode when he caught the scent of his new beta. It was a strange combination of scents that were confusing. Derek could tell right off this wasn’t a lack of control of his wolf, it was too early in the day and he could tell by the scents. When Stiles caught Derek’s scent his eyes flashed open and he growled a warning that turned to a whimper then back to a warning.

“Woah okay then, that’s a new look,” Erica whispered, and she was beginning to feel her own wolf become agitated at Stiles’ response to Derek. Derek stepped back a step but remained standing, refusing to give up the more dominant position.

“Erica, go ask the waitress if there’s a back door outside through the kitchen. Tell her we have a sick friend and we don’t want to walk him past the other diners. Boyd, give me your jacket, we’ll need it to cover his head if he shifts completely. Isaac, you’re going to have to get him out of here. If Scott or myself get near him we’re going to have a fight on our hands.”

When the pack began to ask questions about what the hell was going on Derek cut them off with a raised hand and a very quick flash of his alpha eyes. “Move, now. Answers when we get into a secured area.” Erica raced off to find the waitress as Boyd removed his coat and handed it to Isaac. Isaac had leaned back in to comfort Stiles, making sure his neck was bared to the beta.

“D-Derek, what’s wrong with me?” Stiles pleaded as he kept his head down to keep his eyes hidden, but his claws were still deeply embedded in the chair. “Please tell me this is normal. This is normal right? Everyone goes through this?”

Erica hurried back in and nodded to Derek that they could leave through the kitchen. Derek dug into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, grabbing a hundred and a fifty and leaving it on the table. “Stiles we’re going to get you out of here and back to the house. I need you to keep your hands in your pockets and your head down, eyes closed. We’ll lead you out, ok? Will you let me close to you or do you want Isaac to lead you?”

Stiles was beginning to panic. The lack of a direct answer to his question told him all he needed to know, and the fact he was being rushed out the back door of the diner. “I have no idea? I feel like a yo-yo. I want you as close to me as possible and at the same time nowhere near me, I don’t understand it. My insides are all jittery, like there’s another me in there pacing.” Stiles stood as Isaac helped him, and he quickly shoved his hands into his pockets and closed his eyes. Isaac was stuck to his side like a leach, murmuring to him as they began to hurry outside.

“That’s your wolf. He’s agitated about what’s going on. I have no idea what’s happening but I promise you we will figure this out, ok? Just stay with me Stiles.” Derek led the way out, making sure Stiles’ eyes were closed, while Isaac maneuvered them through the kitchen and out the door. Erica had gone ahead and gotten the doors open to Derek’s SUV and Derek nodded his thanks. As Isaac moved forward to help Stiles in Stiles stopped with a whimper. His eyes were opened and glowing bright and he suddenly swung around and pushed into Derek’s chest and began to scent him.

“ _Derekwhatsgoingon_ ,” he asked quickly while still scenting him. There was a chorus of “woahs and holy cows” as a potent blend of arousal hit their noses. Stiles couldn’t seem to get enough of Derek’s scent and Derek’d had no choice but to grab him by the arms, trying to hold him back a little, lest he fall over backward. Derek felt his own wolf jump up front and center, demanding Derek do things to Stiles that should be done in private. There was a growled ‘mine’ that escaped him and then Derek suddenly found himself with a set of fangs around his throat, causing his wolf to fight back. Before he could even blink Derek’s claws were out and he was slamming Stiles up against the car, red eyes boring into Stiles’ as the other wolf growled back.

“Stiles!” Isaac yelled, grabbing the front of his shirt while trying to stay out from between his alpha and the beta. He really didn’t feel like be shredded by two wolves but someone needed to break this up. When Stiles continued to growl and it didn’t look like Derek would let up Isaac hauled off and belted Stiles and making his head snap back and slam against the top of the car. When his head came back up slowly Stiles looked dazed and very confused. His eyes were back to their normal whisky color and he looked between Derek and Isaac.

“What the fuck man? Why’d you hit me?” He accused Isaac. Isaac shrugged as he moved in to stand between them. Derek had shifted back and was calming down and turned and walked away a few steps. “It was either that or the two of you were going to either fuck each other or kill each other right here in the parking lot. I’m not eager to see either one of those possibilities, especially right after eating.”

Derek turned back to Stiles and took in the look of confusion. He looked like he’d had no idea what just happened. He looked to Boyd, threw his keys at him and told him to drive Stiles home. Derek couldn’t be in the same car with him and would ride with Erica instead.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Stiles "work" through some issues and a new change takes over the both of them. Plus sex. Cuz Sterek sex is good and there should be more of it.

When Deaton finished watching the video of Stiles’ transformation from last night he sat silently, rubbing a finger over his lips. “Yes, this is very interesting, especially coupled with what happened earlier today. Where is he right now?”

Derek looked at his emissary, wondering if he’d get any straightforward answers this time, but decided not to hold his breath. “He’s downstairs in the holding area with Erica and Isaac. It’s getting late, and with the clusterfuck this afternoon we felt it prudent to keep him in a secure area.” Deaton remained silent before standing up. “I’d like to go see him, if that’s alright with you,” he asked, putting just enough of a respectful tone in his voice to the alpha without overdoing it. Derek nodded at him and led him out of the office and down the hallway to the basement door. The door was unlocked since it was still early enough and Stiles was being watched by two other wolves.

When Derek reached the bottom of the stairs Stiles was already looking up and scenting the air. Stiles jumped up and hurried over to Derek, shoving his face into Derek’s neck and inhaling deep. Derek was hit with a strong wave of what could only be described as pure lust. Derek cupped the back of his neck, and this time Stiles didn’t react. “Stiles, I’d like to introduce you to our pack’s emissary, Alan Deaton.” Stiles pulled back and eyed the other man, realizing he hadn’t noticed him standing behind Derek. He stepped away from Derek a tiny bit and offered the man a nod.

“Good evening Stiles, I’ve heard much about you here from Alpha Hale, and he’s told me how you’re doing as a newly turned wolf. I understand the circumstances of your change were unorthodox, and that you have been working through them. I was wondering if I might speak with you for a few minutes?”

Derek looked over to where Erica and Isaac had been sitting and with a nod of his head indicated they could go upstairs and give Stiles some privacy. Stiles had just shrugged at the man, not knowing who he was or what an emissary was. He wasn’t sure what this man wanted.  When the door clicked shut Deaton suggested the three of them sit at the table and Derek indicated the seat for Stiles to sit in. Stiles walked over to it but stood, waiting for Derek to sit.

“Have a seat Stiles,” Deaton said, already sitting with his hands clasped in front of him. Stiles looked at Derek, tilting his head. “After you.” Derek narrowed his eyes before replying with a terse, “you first.” Deaton let out a small smirk as he watched what was about to turn into a pissing contest between the two men. Derek flashed his eyes at Stiles, involuntarily. Stiles was challenging him again over who would fucking sit down first, it was ridiculous. Stiles flashed his eyes back with an almost inaudible growl.

“Both of you, on the count of three, sit down – One-Two-Three!” Deaton said. This would probably go on all night at this rate he thought. Reluctantly they both sat, at the same time, eyes back to natural colors and like nothing had happened. Derek really wasn’t sure why Stiles was challenging him but also why Derek was feeling challenged with the need to assert his dominance.

“This started yesterday, correct? The unwillingness to submit?” Deaton asked Derek. Stiles bowed his head, suddenly feeling shamed. He was Derek’s beta, from what he’d learned so far that should mean that he submit to Derek. He’d done some reading that Derek had given him on pack hierarchy and how it all worked, and he knew in the logical part of his brain that submitting to the alpha didn’t mean you were weak or less important or whatever, just that you, as a beta, recognized the alpha as head of the pack. It was supposed to be instinct to submit. He knew Derek was frustrated with him, and he figured that was why this guy had come over.

“I’m sorry, I’m screwing this up, aren’t I?” He asked Derek quietly, suddenly not wanting to make eye contact him. “Is something wrong with me? Is that why, why I keep having these feelings and you being frustrated and mad at me?” Derek looked at Stiles, who suddenly seemed to deflate in front of him. Stiles never did have much of a poker face around Derek, but even so the range of emotions visible on his face made Derek’s heart clench. Stiles suddenly looked very young, very insecure and the scent of sadness and loneliness wafted from him. As confused as Derek was as to what was going on with Stiles, he could only imagine what Stiles was feeling. He was a brand new wolf, barely more than a week old, and having to deal with not only that transition but all of the foreign emotions and instincts kicking in. He was being baptized by fire in a sense. He’d been handling it all so much better than Derek would’ve thought, but as he took in the dejected look he began to rethink that assumption.

He got up and crouched down, pulling Stiles into a hug and tucking his head into his neck. “No babe, you’re not screwing this up. This was definitely not your average turning, and apparently you are not an average beta, but this has nothing to do with you messing something up, ok? We’ll figure this out.” Derek pulled back enough to look at the man he loved and he cupped his jaws and kissed him softly. “I love you Stiles, more than anything in this world. We’ll get through this together, ok?” When Stiles gave him a small, but sincere, smile, Derek kissed him again before moving his chair right up next to Stiles so that he could keep their hands entwined.

Deaton, for his part, just watched them with a blank face. Stiles narrowed his eyes at the man, he really didn’t like him, and he had no rational reason for it. But if he could figure this out then Stiles would deal. Deaton pulled an iPad out and swiped the screen opening up to a photo. He turned it around and slid it to Stiles to look at.

“Oh wow, is that me?” Stiles said, looking at himself wolfed out, shackled to the wall downstairs. “Dude, I have mutton chops, how cool. But what the fuck is wrong with my eyes?”

Ignoring Derek’s snort at the mutton chops comment Deaton looked at Stiles. “Yes, you certainly have – unique – eyes, for a beta. Betas usually have a gold color to differentiate them from the alphas. Some wolves have blue, which indicates they’ve murdered an innocent. But yours I’ve never seen before. Coupled with your unwillingness to submit to Derek as your alpha, I’m postulating that perhaps you are not meant to be a beta.”

Derek stiffened at the comment, looking at Stiles and then Deaton. “You think he’s an alpha? How is that even possible? Alpha powers have to be given or taken. Not even born wolves are born alpha.”

Deaton took the iPad back and began to shut it down. “I’m not sure if that is truly the case. I can only guess. His eyes are a combination of alpha and beta. The dark blood orange rimmed in red would seem to suggest something in between the two ranks. Add to that your account of his first change and his unwillingness to not only submit but to also challenge you, it would seem to indicate that his natural tendency should perhaps be that of an alpha. Think of it as an alpha wolf trapped in a beta’s body.”

“So what do we do about it?” Derek asked. “Two alphas in the same pack, it’s not done.” The alpha pack in town crossed his mind as a prime example of why packs only had one alpha.

Deaton let out a small sigh. “I’m honestly not sure. Stiles, can you give me an idea of what you’ve been feeling since yesterday? Perhaps if I can get a sense of your emotions it’ll give me some clues.”

Stiles honestly felt like he’d rather pull his fingernails out than open up to the man, but at Derek’s supportive hand squeeze he figured he suck it up and talk. “Well, honestly, I feel like a yo-yo. Part of me wants to do whatever Derek asks, another part of me wants to knock his ass to the ground. When he’s flashed his eyes at me I feel, weird. Like in the back of my mind I should be doing something to submit, but the other part of me is all ‘hell no bitch’. I also seem to get fuzzy when it’s happened. I don’t really remember what happens.”

Deaton nodded, then asked about earlier. “And what about today at lunch, when Scott tried to help you. You became aggressive towards him. What were you feeling?”

Stiles scratched his neck, trying to recall the disaster in the diner. “I have no idea why I reacted that way. I had started getting really hot inside and I felt really off. I was feeling a pull towards Derek, who wasn’t there. When I began to freak out Scott tried to calm me down but it, I don’t know how to explain it. Like he was challenging me? Or just getting too close? I really don’t know.”

“And Isaac was the only one who could get close to you?”

Stiles nodded. Even just thinking of Isaac seemed to calm him a bit. “Yeah, he got in front of me and kept baring his throat, which, I dunno isn’t that some sort of submissive wolf thing? All I know is that it kept me level headed. Then Derek got there and I began to feel aggressive and at the same time…um…well not so aggressive?” Stiles wasn’t about to tell this strange man that Stiles was ready to throw Derek down right there in the parking lot and fuck him into the next time zone.

“What do you mean by not so aggressive?”

Of course he’d want the details, Stiles thought as he felt his face warm up. “I uh, you know. Didn’t want to fight him. Not like that. All claws and…” Stiles waggled his fingers into mock claw shapes.

“He means to say he was warring between aggression and arousal towards me.” Derek said it deadpanned, not in the least bit embarrassed. Stiles was hoping the floor would just open up and swallow him.

Deaton began to put his iPad away and zip up the bag he’d brought with him. “I will do some research on this and contact other emissaries, see what they have to say.” Derek cut him off, “Just keep his name out of all correspondence. We don’t want it getting out that Stiles is alive. The alpha pack think they killed him, I need it to stay that way.

Deaton stood and with a curt “of course, Alpha”, he left the room. Derek stood and began to pace the room, running things through his head. Maybe having two alphas in his pack wouldn’t matter. He doubted Stiles would try to wrestle control of the pack from him, he was too new to all of this. But, how would it work with the rest of the pack, he thought? If Stiles truly was an alpha, then it could cause confusion amongst the betas, especially if for some reason Stiles ever decided to countermand an order from him. Or, even worse, what if the pack began to split their loyalty between the two? Fuck, he thought. This, this right here is why packs only had one fucking alpha. As he continued to work through his thoughts he began to realize the scent worming its way into his nostrils was coming from Stiles. Fuck, he smelled good, smelled like sex. Derek’s wolf began to whine and when he turned towards Stiles, he saw the other man sitting there, head down, eyes closed and his fists bunched.

“Stiles, are you ok?” He asked, not able to avoid the husky tone of his voice as his libido began to stand up and demand attention.

“Shit, I’m sorry Derek. I know this isn’t the time or place and I know you can smell it. It keeps hitting me at weird times and it happened earlier at the diner and now and _fuckIreallywanttorideyoulikeahorse_.” The last part of that came out in a hoarse voice that was pure tortured sexual angst.

Derek could feel himself shift, knew his eyes were burning red and his gums were tingling. He strode up the stairs quickly, taking the steps two at a time, and threw open the door.

“Scott! No one is to come down here until I say so. No one!” He yelled out, and when he heard a far off “okay boss!” as a reply he slammed the door shut and bolted it and headed back down to Stiles. He grabbed a hold of Stiles by his shirt front and pulled him up roughly, jamming his face into Stiles’ neck.

“Say the word and this stops. I will let you go and go back upstairs,” Derek grinds out as he noses all around Stiles’ throat and face. Stiles had begun to grind against Derek’s front when he pulled back slightly. “Hell no. I want this. I want you. Right. Fucking. Now.”

That was all Derek needed to hear and he began to push Stiles back towards the bed, pulling clothes off the both of them as they went. When they were both naked Derek pulled Stiles in for a fierce, almost painful kiss, sucking lips and tongue, biting as he went. Stiles reciprocated and the smell of lust and sex and want was the most powerful thing Derek had ever experienced. He wanted nothing more than to sink his fangs into Stiles’ neck, into that sweet spot where it met his shoulder and where his scent was the strongest. He wanted his mark there, his mark that would show the world who Stiles belonged to. It was such a primal feeling, like something left over in his DNA from back when men and wolves still lived in the caves. He realized he was sucking hard into that spot, his fangs glazing over the skin but not puncturing. Stiles was coming completely undone in his arms and they hadn’t even really done much yet. But that was going to change.

Derek pushed him down onto the bed and told him to stay, then strode over to a cupboard and opened the drawer and dug around in the back. Finding what he wanted he quickly made his way back to Stiles. The man lay there, stroking his hard cock and whimpering. His eyes were glowing and Derek could see his fangs peeking through as he ran his tongue out along his lip. “You always keep lube handy for the newbies?” He teased, as his fingers began to dip into his tight hole. Derek gave him such a seductive smirk that Stiles felt a glob of precome ooze out. He immediately swiped a finger over the head of his cock before running it back down, circling his rim with it. Derek’s breath caught as he watched the long finger playing around the rim. His own eyes were burning red and he let out a snarl as he opened the lube and squirted some out onto his own fingers. “You like what you see?” Stiles whispered, again with a hint of tease. Derek climbed over him, grabbing his arms and pinning them above his head. He felt himself shift into his beta form and immediately heard Stiles’ heartrate speed up and the scent of arousal intensified.

“Careful little boy,” Derek ground out between glistening fangs, “It’s not wise to antagonize an alpha.” Derek ground his own achingly hard cock against Stiles as he spoke. He moved both of Stiles’ wrists into one hand and with the one that was lubed up began to stretch Stiles open. “You piss off an alpha and he’s likely seek payback. You know, back in the old days the pack alpha would take any beta he wanted to satisfy him. Make him the bitch. I’m going to fuck you so hard you won’t be able to see straight for days. I’m gonna slide my cock into your tight hole and pound it over and over.”

Stiles was pretty sure he was about to come just from watching Derek lose control of himself. Seeing him shifted into his beta form as he promised complete and utter debauchery was the biggest turn on of his entire life. “Alpha, fuck me. Fuck me now, please,” he whimpered, not playing at the tone whatsoever. Derek snarled as he pulled his fingers out and lubed his cock up. It was an angry red, weeping and looking for Stiles’ tight heat. He pushed in, sinking down to his balls in one push with a growl. Stiles cried out, but not in pain. It was pure ecstasy, every nerve ending was firing. Derek began to pound into him hard, setting a brutal pace. Stiles let his mind go, not thinking, only feeling. He could feel his wolf, howling in pleasure and begging to come out. Stiles smiled and felt himself let the wolf out to play. He felt his face begin to change shape as he allowed his shift to take over. He opened his eyes and watched as Derek continued to fuck him.

Stiles let out his own snarl as he wiggled his hands from Derek’s grip and suddenly pushed him up and back. He managed to flip Derek onto his back without separating from him. Derek growled but Stiles growled back, then leaned forward and put both hands beside Derek’s head. He began to ride Derek for all he was worth, pulling up almost to the point of Derek’s cock slipping out before slamming back down.

“Fuck, Derek. I fucking love you. Don’t ever leave me,” Stiles ground out and he kept slamming himself down. In this position Derek was hitting his prostrate with each thrust and he wasn’t going to last much longer.

“Never,” Derek growled out. He could sense Stiles was close and he knew he was too. He began to buck up hard into Stiles and wrapped a fist around his cock, stroking it as Stiles moved. He managed to sit up slightly and grab Stiles’ neck with the other. When he felt him begin to clench around him Derek rolled them over and pounded as hard as he could. He felt Stiles shooting his load all over his chest as he howled out his pleasure. Derek felt himself shift once again, this time into his alpha form. He’d only ever shifted once to this stage, and as he shifted he felt his knot swell, locking him to Stiles. He let out his own howl as he came hard, eyesight whiting out. As he continued to come Stiles eyes burned even brighter and Derek leaned in and sank his fangs into that special place, still thrusting into Stiles, still coming and with a growled “mine” on his lips. A split second later he felt Stiles’ return the bite, with a second “mine” growled out.

Derek collapsed onto Stiles, trying valiantly to at least fling his weight off to the side and not suffocate his mate. He might have blacked out, he wasn’t sure. He did know he was still attached to Stiles, so he made sure to pull him over with him to avoid hurting him. He was fuzzy, almost like he was drunk on that wolfsbane beer his dad had brewed one time. He couldn’t move, could barely see. He let his eyes close and just soaked in the scent and feel of the man in his arms. Stiles’ heart rate was still high but working its way back towards normal. He smelled satiated, content. Happy. Derek let out a breath at that.

“Derek, I think you broke me.” Came a groaned whisper. “I hurt, but…fuck what happened? I feel incredible. I feel so strong and happy. I feel like I’m _home_. Shit, I think I bit you, I’m so sorry. It felt so right though, like my wolf was telling me to do it.”

Derek smiled as he opened his eyes. He wiggled so he could see Stiles and kiss him. His eyes widened in utter surprise, but at the same time, back in the farthest reaches of his brain, he knew _this was right_. “Stiles, your eyes,” he whispered in awe. When Stiles began to look panicky, wondering what had gone wrong now, Derek only smiled before he kissed him. He was no longer unsure of anything regarding the man lying next to him. “ _Mine_ ,” he thought. “ _Perfect_.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has commented! I'm really bad at replying, I'm so sorry :-( Hope you like the next installment!

Scott sat back as he became weirdly overwhelmed with something running through the pack bond. It was a sudden, spike – for lack of a better term -, and it confused him. As he stood up from the couch where he’d been watching an episode of Property Brothers Isaac came running in.

“Is everyone ok? What happened?” He was wide-eyed with concern, looking around the den for the rest of the pack.

Scott went over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I have no idea what that was. I’ve never felt anything like that before.” Before he could go on cell phones began to ring. Both men pulled them out, looking at the caller IDs.

“It’s Laura.”

“It’s Erica.”

They both said simultaneously. Scott answered his and before he could even say hello Laura was talking. “Scott? What’s wrong with Derek? He’s not answering his phone and something really weird just went through the bond.”

Scott nodded, forgetting she couldn’t see him. “I know, we all felt it. Erica is on the other line with Isaac. As far as I know Derek is fine, he’s down in the basement with Stiles for the night. They went down there with Deaton, then he left then shortly after Derek yelled up that no one was to go there until he gave the all clear.”

“Do you think something happened to Stiles?” She asked. Scott had no idea and said as much, and told Laura that he would wait for Derek to emerge. He had a feeling the door was bolted from the inside anyway. There was a panic button in the basement that could be pressed in an emergency that would allow entrance, but it had never been used.

“Laura let me try and reach him and find out…”

Scott paused as his phone dinged with a text message that had Derek’s assigned alert-tone. “Hold on,” but he could see that Isaac got one at the same time as well as Laura.

**_< To Pack>_ ** _Please give Stiles privacy for the rest of the evening. Everything is fine. Will explain later. Moon rise is coming and need to get ready. ~D_

“Well, I guess that somewhat explains that,” Laura said. Scott watched as the rest of the pack began to reply with ‘okays’ and variations thereof to the text. Scott said good night to Laura and hung up with her just as Isaac did the same with Erica. They just shrugged at each other before sitting back down to finish watching tv.

* * *

 

“So, you gonna tell me what’s up with my eyes?” Stiles asked, still gloriously naked and twined around Derek. Derek’s phone had dinged several times with replies from his pack but he rolled over and held it up to Stiles’ face. He opened the camera app and then switched it so Stiles could see himself. When he saw the pair of black-rimmed red eyes staring back at him he sucked in a breath.

“So what Deaton said was true? I’m an alpha? What does that mean? I don’t want to leave you or the pack, I’m just getting to know everyone…”

Derek cut him off with a kiss then put his phone off to the side. “I don’t know what it means, but as soon as I saw them, for some reason it just felt right. Like everything settled into place. I have no idea what it means. And I’ve never seen black-rimmed alpha eyes before, it’s pretty cool.”

As Derek talked he realized that Stiles was flashing his eyes while still in human shape. He looked at him studiously. “Hey, can you switch your eyes back and forth?” Stiles looked surprised, then focused for a second, and sure enough he let his eyes blink between alpha and human and back. Derek sat up, still staring at him. “Wow. I can’t believe it.” He looked at the clock, it was only 7:10, it was still fairly early in the evening. “What about your shift, feel like you could shift intentionally?” Stiles had no idea how to do it, to be honest. When Derek talked him through it, sure enough Stiles felt himself shift between human and beta again.

Derek got up this time, pacing, but in an excited manner. “Shit Stiles, it’s only the day after your first full moon. I mean it’s still early in the evening, but you’re doing controlled shifts. No one, I mean no one, has ever been able to do that the day after. I think the earliest we’ve ever seen in our pack is two weeks after the first full moon that a wolf has mastered control. Fuck, I can’t wait until midnight, when the pull is the strongest, to see how strong your control is.” Derek grinned and Stiles couldn’t help but feel giddy from Derek’s excitement.

“I guess I’m just that good dude,” he replied with mock smugness.

* * *

 

Colin sat at Grandpa’s desk, a cookie in one hand and a crayon in the other. Grandpa had gotten him this Spongebob coloring book earlier and a brand new set of crayons. While he loved the new book, and who didn’t love brand new crayons where the tips were still pointy, he really wanted to go back to his daddy. Grandpa had said he was sick, from when he got hurt at work, and they were trying to make him better. He’d seemed ok at Derek’s house when all those other people were there, but he had gotten quite distracted by the Legos when he went upstairs to play.

He liked Derek’s house, it was a lot bigger than his. Although there were no stuffed animals anywhere, which was stupid. Maybe he would tell Grandpa that. Derek’s house needed stuffed animals. Colin also kind of wanted to see his friends at school. Dad and Grandpa said maybe he’d be able to go back tomorrow, but they wouldn’t promise. He wasn’t sure why he had to stay away from school. He missed his friend Joey and his teacher Miss Palmer. Plus it was almost summer and then he wouldn’t get to see any of them unless they went to the same new school he was going to. He was gonna be a big kindergartner! He bet they didn’t make you nap in kindergarten since you were a big boy then. Naps are stupid. It just means less time to play.

So he kept coloring and munching on his cookie. He had found the cookies hidden inside Grandpa’s desk earlier. Grandpa said it was something called a “secret stash”. He didn’t know what flavor that was, but if you asked him it just tasted like chocolate chip. He looked up when Grandpa came back in.

“Hey champ, you okay to stay there for a minute? I have to go down to where the bad guys are. I’ll only be gone for maybe ten minutes. Tara is right outside if you need me, ok?” Colin just grinned and waved bye. He watched as Grandpa walked back out then stopped at Tara’s desk to say something to her, before pointing back towards Colin. He saw Tara nod her head as she also looked back over at him, so he waved at her. With one more look at Colin, then around the station, Grandpa went through the door that led to the scary area where the bad guys lived.

He sorted through his crayons, trying to decide on the next color to use, then grabbed another cookie and went back to coloring. He’d only gotten part way through Patrick’s page when he heard someone walk in. He looked up to see if Grandpa was already back, but it was another man that worked with him. He didn’t know his name but he knew he didn’t like him.

“Hey there Colin, how are you? Oh wow, is that a cookie? I bet it tastes good huh?” The man said, a forced smile on his lips.

Colin just nodded wordlessly as he took another bite then held the cookie to his chest. This man was weird, and Colin didn’t like him. He knew daddy didn’t like him either. He’d heard daddy use grown-up words at him once when daddy thought Colin wasn’t listening. Silly daddy, Colin is always listening.

The man sat down after quickly looking around. “So whatcha got there? A coloring book? Pretty cool man. Can I color with you?”

“No,” was all Colin said, not taking his eyes off the man. He looked around through the windows, but Grandpa was still downstairs. Tara was talking on the phone. The man grabbed a crayon anyways and started to twirl it around in his fingers. “Hey, you know I got a new police car. You wanna go see it? It’s pretty cool inside. I’ll even let you turn on the sirens.”

Colin began to get scared. He’d had stranger danger talks with daddy and Grandpa, and he knew the kinds of things people might say. But this person was a police man and worked with daddy, and he didn’t know what to do. He really didn’t want to see his police car. Daddy always let him turn on the sirens anyways. Colin grabbed his coloring book and held it to his chest before hopping down out of the chair. He tried to leave Grandpa’s office but the other man stood up too and stood in front of the door.

“Hey buddy where ya going? Huh? I thought we were friends! I really wanted to color with you.” The man said, his fake smile still there as he looked around again. Colin knew he might get in trouble later on, but he really wanted to leave. He yanked his foot back as far as it would go and kicked the man in the ankle as hard as he could. When the man yelled out and bent over to grab his ankle Colin squirted out past him and ran to Tara’s desk. She had just hung up the phone and turned when she heard someone yell. She saw Colin run towards her, a book clutched to his chest and looking almost frightened.

“Jackson, you ass, what are you doing scaring Colin?” She yelled at him. She heard him mutter something about ‘the little shit kicked me’, but ignored him to grab Colin and pull him onto her lap and tickle him, laughing at the squeals she got out of him.

* * *

 

Deucalion watched as the doctor injected the male one more time with the blue syringe. Five seconds later and his beta eyes flashed bright as he let out something between a groan and a moan of pleasure. He shifted into his beta form, and it was _fast_. One second he was human, the next he was wolf.

“Impressive,” he whispered to himself. He could feel the excitement bubbling up inside of him. A second syringe was prepared and injected and soon after another moan was elicited. Deucalion could feel the raw power radiating from the wolf, and he was finding himself glad that Kali had thought to triple up the wolfsbane-laced chains on him, as he had a feeling this wolf would be able to snap a single set.

“Do you think it’s ready for testing?” He called out. The doctor turned around at Deucalion’s voice, thought for a second, then nodded.

“Yes, I believe it is indeed ready. I do not foresee any adverse side effects at this point, Alpha.”

Deucalion was close to rubbing his hands together in giddiness like a kid at Christmas as he descended the steps from the observation platform. He made his way over to the doctor and the wolf, smiling.

“My good doctor, to say I am pleased with your work thus far would be an understatement. Should the test prove successful please expect you and your family to receive a rather large bonus.”

The doctor smiled, giving a short bow and indicating that Deucalion could proceed at his leisure. Deucalion couldn’t help but inhale slow and deep, almost tasting the power coming from the wolf. The other wolf began to sense the imminent danger he was in and let out a growl, yanking on the chains. Duke could see dust rising into the air from where they pulled on the concrete wall.

“Yes, my lovely. You are truly a work of brilliance.” Duke let his eyes bleed red as his fangs and claws came out, then quickly slashed the wolf’s throat out before grabbing the dying man and sinking his fangs into the back of the neck and ripping there. The attack almost decapitated the wolf but Duke didn’t care as he pulled away and sank to his hands and knees. He clenched his eyes shut as he felt the power of the dead wolf transfer over to him, and it was fucking _exhilarating_. Duke felt invincible, powerful, god-like. This would be addicting, he dimly thought. The only thing that could top this feeling, was if he could find himself an alpha to inject and then kill. He _would_ be a god at that point.

* * *

 

“Your dad just sent me a text.” Derek looked completely bewildered by that. “Why’s he texting me and not you?”

Stiles crawled over to see Derek’s phone, making grabby hands. Derek let out an ‘oompf’ when he took a bony knee to his balls as Stiles flailed after his phone. “I think I left mine upstairs. What’s it say? Is everything ok?” Stiles grabbed it and sighed when it was nothing important. “OK, cool. It just says he fed Colin and is heading over, should be here in about ten minutes.” The phone dinged again, “Oh and it says ‘sorry for bugging you but Stiles wasn’t answering. Called Scott and he said Stiles was downstairs’, so that’s why he’s texting you I guess.” Stiles went ahead and answered his dad’s texts, telling him it was Stiles answering, that he was fine and had just left his phone upstairs. After hitting send he tossed it back onto the bed then proceeded to climb back over Derek to get up, only hitting Derek in the kidney this time with a foot.

“Dude, do we have food down here? I have to pee. Do I have to wear chains tonight? God that sounds so kinky doesn’t it? Maybe you could…”

Derek laughed as he cut him off. “Stiles! Breathe man. Jesus. I don’t know how you don’t pass out sometimes.” Derek got up and grabbed his t-shirt. They had gotten dressed a few minutes earlier except for Derek’s shirt. But as he pulled it back on, grinning at Stiles’ total perving look, he made a split decision. “No, you know what, let’s go upstairs and order a pizza. The pack should be around, we’ll have a pack night. You’re showing an almost alarming sense of control. But – if you begin to feel the slightest bit off, you tell me, ok?”

Stiles nodded enthusiastically, the idea of pizza sounding really good. “Can I have my own pizza? I feel like I could eat a whole one by myself. Derek laughed but agreed, telling him that as a wolf he’d find that he could eat obscene amounts of food without blinking. Before they headed up the stairs Stiles rushed in and hugged Derek hard.

“Thank you Derek, for everything. Not only for saving my life, but for keeping me here, letting me be part of your pack, for loving Colin, everything. I know I don’t know any other alphas, but I’m really glad you’re mine,” Stiles spoke with his face pressed hard against Derek’s neck and suddenly feeling like he might break out in the waterworks any second. When he pulled back Derek kissed him hard but chastely. How was that even possible, to be both, Stiles thought. Derek simply whispered ‘you’re welcome’, and somehow it was a completely fitting response.

“Now come on. I want pizza, lots of it. And I want to flash my eyes at everyone. Oh hey does this mean since I’m an alpha too that I get to boss them around cuz I’d really like to boss Erica around…”

Stiles’ voice drifted off as they headed upstairs to the main living area of the house.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I'm neck deep in organizing our annual event that's massive. But I hope you guys like this one, things are about to heat up!

As Stiles made his way into the main living area of the house he could hear the rest of the pack moving around and talking and then feeling surprised as they realized their Alpha and newest beta were actually coming up out of the basement. They were no doubt surprised that Derek was letting Stiles out of the holding area, thinking he would need to be secured again for the night after a full moon. Stiles felt almost giddy, it was a strange feeling. He could feel an energy thrumming under his skin that felt good. As if sensing it himself Derek smiled at him. “Can you feel that? That energy? That’s the moon. You probably felt it last night as well but don’t remember with everything else.”

They had stopped in the hallway, and he knew the rest of the pack was probably eavesdropping, but he found he didn’t care. “I feel like I could run forever, and I hate running. But this, this feels good. Is it always like this?” Derek nodded at him. “Yeah, and usually what we do as a pack, mostly just on the full moon, we have a pack night and when the moon gets high enough we go out into the preserve behind the house and run. We run all night, usually get back around dawn, then crash.”

All Stiles could say was ‘wow’, and kept moving towards the den. He could hear a car coming up the drive and he knew it was his dad’s cruiser, which meant Colin was almost here. “Come on! Colin’s here and I miss him,” as he ran out into the den. As he appeared into the den he was met with mixed looks of concern, smiles and confusion.

“Um Derek, is this wise?” Came from Scott, ever the worrier, while Isaac immediately zeroed in on the bite mark on Derek’s neck.

“Derek? What happened? Did Stiles lose control and attack you?” Isaac was almost beginning to panic until he took in the look of contentment on his Alpha’s face. Before Derek could explain he saw Deaton walk into the den as he made his way in from the kitchen, a beer in his hand. He bowed his head respectfully as he greeted him.

“Deaton? What are you doing here? Is everything ok?” He’d seen Stiles stiffen up at the sight of the emissary, and could feel the concern coming from him.

“My apologies Alpha. I thought that perhaps I could be of some help tonight, after the events of last night. I was informed by your second that you had ordered no one to bother you until you said so, but Scott invited me over just in case.”

Derek shrugged, it was a good decision on Scott’s part. Deaton’s eyes caught sight of Derek’s neck and he strode over to look at it. He looked at Derek, then at Stiles, before moving over to the man. Stiles began to back away as the other man advanced, a hand out in front of him. “Hey, it was an accident, Derek said it was ok, I didn’t attack him I swear!” Deaton stopped, then gave the weird small smile he often wore. “Stiles, its ok. May I see your neck? Do you have a bite mark as well?”

Stiles looked at Derek, who wasn’t sure what Deaton was after, but nodded at Stiles. Stiles pulled his collar down to reveal his own bite mark and Deaton inhaled sharply.

“My, my. How very interesting. If I may, Alpha, what color are Stiles’ eyes now?” He asked Derek, but still looking at Stiles. Stiles grinned then, flashing his eyes before Derek could speak. Deaton’s eyes widened while the rest of the pack went crazy.

“He’s an alpha?”

“Can we have two alphas?”

“What do we do? What’s going to happen?”

“What’s going on with my son?”

Everyone yelled at once, but it was the small “daddy?” that cut through the noise. Stiles switched his eyes and smiled at his boy as he ran up to him. Wrapping him up into a hug Stiles hefted him up onto his hip and kissed his cheek. “Oh man big guy, I have missed you so much! How are you?” Stiles ignored everyone and walked in to the kitchen to spend time with his son.

Derek growled lowly at his pack to get them to shut up. Deaton had a peculiar look on his face and Derek was over his being cryptic. “OK so out with, what the fuck is going on? And give me some straight answers for once, I’m in no mood to decipher your riddles old man.”

“First, let me assure you that something has indeed happened, but it is very good. I don’t mean to embarrass you, but is it safe to say you and Stiles mated earlier today?”

Derek, despite his age and rank couldn’t avoid the heat rising in his ears. “Yes, we had sex, we’re together. It happens.” He stood straighter, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. But Deaton continued, unfazed by Derek’s posturing.

“And while having sex, did you feel an undeniable need to bite Stiles, and he you?”

There was murmuring from the pack as Derek answered yes. “Yeah, it was uh, really weird. The whole thing.”

“So what the hell happened in there Derek?” Erica asked, and even Boyd looked like he wanted to know.

Derek told everyone to sit down, and frankly he was glad Stiles wasn’t in the room. What Derek was about to say would probably embarrass the man. “Well, at the risk of this being really TMI, after Deaton left, Stiles began to freak out. His level of arousal was off the scale, but he had a ton of conflicting emotions. Deaton, you said you’d thought he might possibly be an alpha trapped in a beta’s body, and then I kind of freaked out, because there’s a reason packs normally don’t have two alphas. But then one thing led to another and we were going at it. Then, uh,” Derek paused and could feel that his face was bright red at this point. He was absolutely mortified to continue, but his pack had a right to know. “Well um, so you know, we both kind of got to the ‘end’ of things, and I felt myself shift into my alpha form, and then, well, fuck – I popped a goddammed knot and felt an overwhelming desire to bite Stiles, and he bit me as well. And there might have been some growled out ‘mines’, and then Stiles’ eyes shifted to red, rimmed in black.”

There was utter silence in the room as everyone took in what Derek had just said. There was an awkward cough from the Sheriff, who Derek hadn’t even realized was sitting there, before Erica literally broke out in tears and jumped onto Derek, wrapping him in a hug.

“Oh my god, you do have a romantic bone in your body! I knew it!!” Derek pushed her off onto the floor with a chuckle, but he was still red-faced. Erica moved back over to Boyd and curled into his lap on the couch, looking like a mama bird whose chick just flew the nest for the first time.

“Derek, after the mating was complete, can you describe your feelings?” Deaton asked.

God, Derek thought, this man could kill the mood for Cupid himself. Who the fuck says ‘mating’ instead of sex? Or ‘making love’?

“I felt perfect. Whole. Home. Even after seeing Stiles’ alpha eyes, something just slid into place for me, like it was meant to be. I felt my bond to not only him become incredibly stronger, but I could feel the rest of the pack bonds become stronger as well.”

Derek looked up when he heard the door open and his sisters walked in. He’d totally forgotten Laura was picking Cora up from the airport and heading over. “So Derek,” she said, in her usual smart-assy way, “that weird thing we all felt today was you and Stiles screwing each other? Eww bro.” She said it with a smirk though, even while Cora rolled her eyes.

Deaton stood up and paced a little bit. “Alpha, what has happened here today hasn’t happened in over a century. You’re right that packs do not usually carry two alphas, and for good reason. There is only one incidence when a second alpha becomes beneficial to the pack, and that is when it is an Alpha’s Mate. Can you show your alpha eyes for me?”

Derek flashed them without hesitation and Deaton smiled and nodded. “As I thought. Your eyes are also rimmed in black.” His pack all clambered over each other to look at Derek, and he suddenly felt like a fly on a microscope dish. “You and Stiles are Alpha mates, also known as an Alpha Pair. While documented cases in the past have usually been of a male/female couple, probably due to reproduction issues, this is truly exciting news. I think your pack will begin to see some exciting changes.”

Derek could feel the excitement run through everyone, everyone but the Sheriff, who just looked utterly confused. “What kind of changes?” Stiles asked from the kitchen, he’d walked in with Colin looking sleepy on his shoulder, but he’d obviously heard everything.

“Well for starters, your pack bonds will become incredibly strong and powerful. If legend holds true, the Alpha pair will become stronger wolves with the ability to achieve a full shift. There’s more, but I would need to read up on it.”

Two words made Derek perk up – ‘full shift’. “You mean, I’ll be able to do a full shift?” Derek couldn’t help it, he felt his chest tighten at the thought of a lifelong dream possibly becoming true. He’d read stories about werewolves who had been able to shift into actual wolves, and he used to daydream about being able to do it. It used to drive his mom nuts. He still remembers when he was six and refusing to walk on two feet, insisting if he walked on all fours he’d be able to make a full shift. His mom always looked so sad, knowing it wasn’t possible, that it was just a fairy tale. He must’ve projected his feelings loud and clear because suddenly Laura and Cora were hugging him, and Laura was almost ready to cry. She alone knew how truly badly Derek had wanted to be able to be a real wolf as a child. Cora not so much since she was so much younger, but she’d heard the stories.

“Oh my god Derek,” was all Laura could say, and it was enough. Derek knew she was feeling as emotional about it as he was. Then she pulled back, kissed his cheek and then started laughing. It was a giddy laugh full of joy and hope for their pack. Stiles had been dragged into the mess of people by Isaac while everyone hugged and kissed each other. When Colin began to wake up, John, still looking confused, took him from Stiles and went upstairs to put him to bed.

“Ok, so now that we know my big brother and his mate are going to be bad-ass wolves, someone explain to me how on the second night of his first shift Stiles is out here, completely in control, and not wolfing out. It’s late, the moon is up.”

“And I’m seriously hungry. Can we order pizza first?” Stiles grumbled. Scott jumped up with an enthusiastic “Yes!” and went off to order a ridiculous number of pizzas. Luckily they had their go-to pizza place that was used to their crazy orders, and Derek always tipped well. When he was finished ordering Scott came back in with a ton of beers and tossed one to each person. As Stiles opened his John came over and sat next to him, giving him the ‘dad’ eye.

“Is everything really ok with you?” He asked quietly, not realizing that quiet was hopeless around wolves. Stiles took a swig and nodded. “Yep, I feel great dad, really. It’s such an unreal feeling, being able to feel everyone here. I can smell them, their emotions. I can tell Scott is as hungry as I am and is hoping they deliver fast. Erica and Boyd are, well gross, they’re wanting some adult time tonight. And I can smell the unease you have about all of this.”

John didn’t say anything, he didn’t know what to say to be honest. “Dad, Derek’s a good guy. He loves me, he loves Colin. I think you two could actually be friends if you could move past all of this crazy stuff.” John looked at his son, realizing that while he may be in his thirties with a son of his own, Stiles was deep down looking for John’s acceptance. For a second he could see the want on his face, for his dad to be okay with all of this, to accept Stiles’ new life. So he thought to himself for a second, if you took the supernatural element out of all of this, how would he be feeling? Had Derek saved his son’s life with surgical techniques rather than a werewolf’s bite, how would it be different? Would he be welcoming Derek into his life? His son already had. Hell his grandson already had. Colin loved Derek and was already dropping hints to him that he was unsure what to call Derek. So he let out a puff of air before grabbing Stiles by the back of his neck and pulling him in for a hug.

“Deep down, I think I know Derek’s a good man. I guess I just haven’t quite worked through everything just yet. As long as you and Colin are safe and happy son, everything with be fine.” Stiles wrapped his arms around his dad to return the hug and whispered a thank you to him, feeling less worried now.

“OK, so let’s talk about control. Pizzas are on their way and I’m dying to know,” Laura said as she finished her beer and poked her brother to get her another one. Derek for his part just raised an eyebrow and stared her down until she gave up and got Cora to do it.

“First off,” Derek said, “Stiles, I’d like to you to meet my baby sister Cora.” Cora offered a small smile and a wave at Stiles, so he waved back. “She’s home from college for the summer. And yes, Stiles seems to have developed control already. When we were downstairs he was able to do controlled shifts into and out of his beta form. And he has yet to show any lack of control, despite the late hour. I have no explanation for it.”

Deaton decided to offer an explanation at this point. “It may actually have something to do with being half of an alpha pair. Perhaps his connection to you, Derek, provides him with the anchor he needs. In fact, I believe my presence here is entirely un-needed.” When he stood and went to gather his bag, Derek joined him and walked him out to his car.

“Alan, thank you, for everything. I know we don’t always see eye to eye, I’m sure my mom was a lot easier to deal with, but still, you have my thanks.” Deaton just smiled and offered his hand to Derek, and they shook on it. “Talia was one of a kind, yes. But I’m honored all the same to continue serving the Hale Pack, and you Derek. And now it looks like I can add Alpha Stiles to that as well. Congratulations on this unprecedented change. It is truly exciting news.”

Derek nodded his head in thanks, and wished his emissary a good evening and a safe ride home. He stood outside until the car left his sight, and then found himself walking out into the yard. He walked down the pathway that was lined with the plants and flowers his mom had loved in life. Jacaranda trees dotted the pathway as well periodically. In the spring, when the trees were in bloom, it was a magical sight. The riotous blast of colors, from the purple of the trees’ flowers to the reds and yellows of the tulips and daffodils. His mom loved it. He followed the curve and came to the wrought iron gate set into the short stone wall and opened it and stepped through. He walked past the headstones of Hale family members until he got to the corner in the back. Even though it was dark he knew that the Jacaranda tree curved gracefully over the corner, shading the two headstones set below it amongst flowering plants. He placed a hand on each of the stones, almost reverently.

“Hey pop, mom.”  He sat down in the grass, ignoring the wetness from the dew. He crossed his legs and played with his fingers. “God I wish you guys were here. Things have happened, things you never would’ve thought possible. I met someone, as you know. I told you last time I came here. Stiles, he’s my mate. He’s been a wolf now for like a week and you would never believe what’s happened. Last night was his first full moon, and it was really rough. He was shifting uncontrollably, which is normal of course. But he kept refusing to submit to me, and he had all of these conflicting emotions, like half of him wanted to submit but the other didn’t. At one point his eyes changed from gold to a blood orange color rimmed in red. Deaton thought that maybe he was presenting as an alpha, which is unheard of, right? I couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on.

So then today the pack went out to lunch, and towards the end Stiles lost it. He was beginning to shift in public, but it was too early in the day. He wanted nothing to do with Scott or me, and only Isaac could calm him down enough to get him out of the diner. So I got him back to the basement and he calmed down. Then, well then some things happened. Things that I totally don’t want to tell my mom and dad. You know, _adult things_. But then something happened. I shifted into my alpha form. The only time that’s ever happened was…” Derek felt himself choke up and he quickly wiped his eyes. “Well you know, when the uh, alpha powers switched over to me. But then I had this overwhelming need to bite Stiles and claim him, so I did, and he bit me back. I told Alan about it and he said we’re an alpha pair. It’s so crazy mom, dad. Now we both have alpha red eyes rimmed in black. And then Alan, Alan said I should be able to make a full shift. Stiles too. I mean, I thought I was going to faint. I’m sure you remember the hell I caused when I was six.

I feel like I’ve been run over by a bus. When Alan first said Stiles was presenting as an alpha, I was so scared. I mean, there’s a good reason why packs only have one alpha, and the thought of him leaving wasn’t something I could deal with. I mean, how do you send a brand new alpha wolf out to make his own pack? He doesn’t even know how to be a wolf yet. But then there was the fear of, what happens if he stays? Will it rip my pack apart? But the thought of losing him and Colin, it was too much. Then this utter sense of relief with this whole alpha mate thing. I’m almost wondering when the other shoe will drop.

I wish you guys could meet him. And Colin. Colin is like a mini Stiles, he’s so adorable. And he recovered from his surgery with flying colors. I’ve never seen such a brave kid, and sometimes I think if it hadn’t been for his bad heart, I never would’ve met them. I love Stiles so fucking much, and I love Colin as well. I feel like he’s mine as much as Stiles’. Is that weird? I don’t know. But you would love Stiles. And he’d seriously give you a run for your money mom. He’s got a sharp mind, not much gets past him. But dad, you’d love him for his snarky side. You two would’ve been best buddies I think.”

Derek wiped his eyes, drying the stray tears that had fallen as he caught his mom and dad up on the latest pack drama. “Anyways, I left the pack inside and I can hear the pizza guy coming up the drive. If I don’t get back they won’t leave me anything to eat. I love you both, and fuck I miss you. I hope you guys are happy where you are, and if you see gramps and granny up there, say hi for me and tell them about Stiles, ok?”

Derek sat for a second longer before getting to his feet. He leaned over and placed a kiss on top of each head stone, then said good night to his parents before making his way back to the house.

* * *

 

Derek made it back in time to grab the pizza boxes from the delivery kid’s hands just as his pack descended on the poor kid. Holding them up over his head he told them all to back off and made a bee-line to the kitchen. Plates were divvied up and everyone dug in with gusto. Stiles was shocked when he did indeed eat an entire pizza by himself without even feeling full. But the fact that the others ate their own as well kept him from feeling like a pig. John had said his goodbyes and headed home, having to be up for the morning shift. Stiles hugged his dad hard then bumped his forehead with his, and with a smile his dad climbed into his cruiser, gave a salute and drove off.

There was some arguing over what movies were going to be watched before they finally settled on Captain America – the Winter Soldier. They let Stiles choose since they all felt like the night was his to celebrate. Finally, sometime around one in the morning, everyone conked out. Stiles woke up when Derek nudged him, then led him upstairs to Derek’s room. He quickly checked on Colin, who was sleeping peacefully, his little face softly lit by the night light Derek had gotten for him. He closed the door over a little then went into Derek’s room. He pulled everything off but his boxers and socks and climbed into the bed. Stiles was really beginning to love this bed, it was the most comfortable thing he’d ever slept in. He was all snuggled in when Derek came back out of the bathroom and slid in next to him, wrapping an arm around him and burying his nose into Stiles’ neck. Within a couple of seconds both men were sound asleep.

* * *

 

When Stiles woke the next morning it took him a second to really wake up. He rubbed his eyes hard before scratching both hands through his hair. He sat up and swung his legs off the bed, absently noticing the late time of morning. God, he hadn’t slept in this late in a long time, he thought as he scratched his ass on the way into the bathroom, long drawn-out yawns escaping.

When he came downstairs a few minutes later fully dressed and ready to tackle the day, he could hear some animated low-level talking coming from the kitchen. He padded over quietly and peeked around the wall and smiled. Colin sat at the table with Derek, bowls of Cheerios and cups of juice pushed to the side. Both of them were coloring, Colin with his new SpongeBob book and Derek with what looked like a Scooby Do book. Colin was telling Derek every detail of the last SpongeBob show he’d seen and Derek was making all the appropriate sounds. Actually, Stiles thought, he honestly looked interested in the non-stop commentary coming from his son.

“So then SpongeBob had to pass his driving test with the new teacher but he was scared cuz he wasn’t blindfolded like he was in practice and he started to crash into things. Then, then something fell on his face and he couldn’t see and then he started driving real good and he zoomed around the road and his teacher he didn’t puff up like Mrs. Puff does when she gets scared and then he goes Zooom! Off the road and hey, did you know I’m gonna be five? Yup I’m gonna be five in exactly thirteen days.”

When Stiles snorted at his son’s word vomit Derek smiled and looked up at him and gave him a wink. “Five huh? You’re gonna be a five year old, that’s pretty important.” Colin grabbed a pink crayon and began to color in Patrick while Derek went for a teal green to tackle the Mystery Machine. “Uh huh, very important. I have to be a big boy to go to kindergarten. I like coloring with you Derek. Not like that guy at daddy’s work who wanted to color with me. I don’t like him.”

Stiles continued to listen to his two men talk and color as he made his way in, kissing Colin on top of the head and Derek on the lips and saying good morning to them. He made himself some breakfast and dug in as the rest of the pack began to wake up and look for food.

It was a peaceful morning of lazying around, and it didn’t change until sometime after lunch when Derek got a call. Stiles couldn’t hear who was on the other end but he could see and smell Derek tensing up. By the time he hung up his carefree attitude had melted into something tense and negative. He called out to Scott, who was in the other room, telling him to come in. Scott did so quickly, sensing the anxiety.

“What’s up?” He said as he came in. Derek looked around, then back at Scott. “Something’s up. Round up the pack, meeting in 5.” Before Stiles could say anything he turned as he heard a truck racing up the driveway. “It’s Jordan,” Derek said. Stiles looked at Derek a little incredulously, as if to say, “What the fuck man? What’s going on?”

The rest of the pack came into the den, all looking worried. The front door opened and sure enough in walked Stiles’ partner, looking haggard. He took one look at Stiles and smiled, then shocked Stiles when he came in and hugged him.

“God, it’s good to see you up and moving Stiles.” Jordan slapped him gently on the back as he hugged him, trying not to recall the images of his broken body being thrown out of a car in front of the station. They separated, but Jordan stayed in front of him. “Your dad’s been keeping me updated on you, a freaking alpha mate hunh? Somehow I’m not surprised,” he said happily. “If anyone could get turned into a werewolf and not only thrive, but throw himself straight to the top of chain, it’s you, bud. Everyone down at the station has been talking about you, wanting to know when they can see you and all that. Probably won’t be able to hold them off much longer.”

When Derek cleared his throat Jordan turned. “Sorry Derek, got sidetracked.” Derek just smiled at the man in understanding. Jordan did turn back to the rest of the pack then to address everyone. “OK so, we’ve had a bit of an incident in the area. About three a.m this morning a couple of kids who were out messing around discovered some bodies on the far side of the preserve. They called 911. It just so happened I took the call. Good thing too. Four bodies were found, two men, two women. Completely gutted, throats ripped out. There was no attempt to hide them, or even disguise them. They were laid out intentionally. One of the males I’m almost positive in a were, his teeth were slightly elongated, and claws were just poking through, almost like he’d been shifted at death but died before his body could shift back completely to human. Luckily the kids didn’t notice that little detail.”

“Deucalion’s getting bold,” Derek said.

Jordan nodded, agreeing. “I’m assuming this is his doing. I don’t have the ability to scent another wolf like you guys do, so I’m wondering if I brought you down to the morgue if you’d be able to scent anything.

Derek thought it over, it was always possible, depending on the condition of the body. “It would depend on what the coroner has done already. I can always try.”

“I asked him not to do anything to the body, just in case. He’s in a bag in the cooler, but he’s holding off on doing any posts until I say it’s ok.” Looking back over to Stiles he said, “Your dad has been brought up to speed on this as well, and honestly, with him now in the loop this gives us the ability to keep things quiet.”

Derek nodded at that. Another benefit to turning Stiles, he thought. “OK, listen up. We’re going to up the patrols. Things have been quiet for so long we got lazy. I want perimeter runs every two hours. Laura, I want you, Erica and Boyd on a team. Stiles will be with me. Cora, I want you with Isaac and Scott.”

When everyone nodded and began to discuss times amongst themselves, Derek turned to Jordan and thanked him, then discussed going to the morgue in a few minutes. He also tried to ignore the disgustingly sweet blushing going on between his baby sister and Isaac.

* * *

 

The tray rattled and squeaked as it rolled out on its bearings making a clang as it came to a stop. Jordan wasted no time in zipping open the body bag and opening it wide for Derek. Derek looked at the man, eyes open in shock, mouth twisted in what might have been a snarl. He leaned in and sure enough he could see his canines were longer than normal. He inhaled deeply, trying to catch a scent. The man was definitely a wolf, but it was faint. “He’s newly turned,” Derek said. “Maybe a few hours old.”

Jordan looked surprised. “A new wolf? If he’s new, then it must be this alpha pack that turned him. Why turn someone then promptly kill him?” Derek shook his head. He didn’t know why, other than a mercy killing for someone who rejected the bite. But it looked like this had been a successful turn. “I’m not sure. What about the others?”

Jordan pulled out three more trays and opened the bags. Another male and two women. Derek went over them and could tell the women were human but the second male was also a newly turned wolf. He went back to the women and gave them a second scenting. It was faint and he’d missed it the first time, but under the acrid smell of blood and gore and the sterile smell of the morgue he caught the whisper of wolfsbane. He went back to the males and scented them again, and sure enough there it was. It was even fainter on them, and he really had to focus to find it, but it was there.

“There’s wolfsbane on all of them. It’s really faint, but it’s there. Not sure why, or what its purpose was, as they were obviously gutted.” Derek said.

“Not unless gutting them was to throw off cause of death. I’m a little concerned about the M.E. posting these and discovering they’re not quite human.”

Derek nodded at the deputy. The women wouldn’t raise any alarms, but the two males might. But he had an ace up his sleeve. “Can you convince the Sheriff to insist on a ‘specialist’ to do the autopsies, to keep this quiet?” Jordan was pretty sure he could, since he was now in the loop of things and would also want to keep this quiet.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure it happens.”

* * *

 

Later that day John wiped his forehead as he listened to the county coroner yell at him about not being allowed access to the four bodies in his morgue. But if that wasn’t bad enough there were deputies in his morgue standing guard over them. Jordan could hear the man rail at the Sheriff and offered him a sympathetic smile as the Sheriff made the motions of blowing his head off.

* * *

 

As Stiles and Derek made their way through the Preserve on patrol Stiles couldn’t help but ask. “Okay, seriously dude, how the hell did you manage that? I don’t think even my dad has that kind of sway, and I know the M.E. he’s a cranky old fuck, he never would’ve just allowed this.”

Derek gave a knowing smile as he answered his mate. “I know someone. Have you wondered how we all took this much time off at the hospital without a problem?” Stiles made a face as if to say, ‘oh yeah, hunh’.

“The hospital administrator is a witch, a very powerful one. She and her coven are allies of the Hale Pack, have been for a long time. They are allowed to practice here in Beacon Hills peacefully and under our protection, and in return they help us out when needed. She knows about you and what happened that night, kept it quiet for us. But she also knows some people in Homeland Security, she pulled some strings to get one of their M.E.s to come do the autopsy off the books.”

Stiles was realizing just how little he knew about that goings-ons of Beacon Hills. “Do I want to know what he is?” He asked, stepping over a rotted log.

“A banshee.”

Stiles laughed, because of course banshees were real. Why the hell not. “What’s Jordan? You said he was pack, but not wolf.”

Derek cracked his neck as he moved through bushes. “That’s his story to tell I’m afraid. I believe I’m the only one who knows, but I’ve kept his secret.”

Stiles promptly told him that an answer like that would mean a life-long commitment to figuring out the answer. “So what does this witch want as payment?”

Without missing a beat Derek answered, “Two days of hot animalistic sex.”

Stiles promptly tripped over a rock, flailed and fell flat on his face. “Dude what??”

Derek grinned. “Just kidding,” he smirked, then took off at a run, waiting for his mate to catch up to him.

 


	19. Chapter 19

John helped Colin climb out of his car seat, smiling at the sight of a Graco car seat strapped into the back of a police cruiser. The sight was so at odds with everything, and funny enough seemed to mirror life at the moment. Shaking his head to himself he grabbed the little hand being held out for him and they made their way into the station. Stiles and Derek were out patrolling the preserve, looking for leads as to where the bodies had originated from. Apparently they’d found a scent but lost it part way out of town. They were hoping to eventually trace it back to where they had come from. So Colin would spend a few hours at the station. He knew his deputies didn’t mind watching over him. They’d all been informed of Stiles’ condition, that he was in a safe house, and that threats had been made against him and Colin. His deputies kept the little boy safe, and knew they did so happily. John couldn’t have asked for a better crew to work with, he was truly lucky and grateful.

“There’s my little man! Come over here and say hi to me Colin!” Came the throaty voice of Debbie, today’s receptionist. Colin eagerly obliged, running from John to give her a hug. Debbie, despite being a rather rotund woman, hefted the boy up into her lap and mock-snuck him a piece of chocolate, smiling at John as she did so.

“It’s no wonder he likes you, sneaky woman,” he said with a laugh as he made his way into the back and towards his office. There was a loud “Of course he likes me!” yelled at him, making him laugh again. As he sat down there was a knock on the door jamb and looking up he waved Jordan in.

“Morning Jordan, what’s up?” he asked.

Jordan handed him a manila folder full of paperwork. “Got the results back on the classified autopsies.”

John raised his eyebrows in surprise as he opened the folder. “Jesus, that’s fast. It’s only been two days.” Jordan smiled and nodded. “Yeah, guess it helps to have connections inside Homeland Security.”

“So give me the run-down. I know you’ve already read through all of this. And close the door, this is for our ears and eyes only.” Jordan did as he was told, then turned and sat.

“Well as Derek said, there was wolfsbane found in all four vics. It was the cause of death in the two females. There were some other chemicals mixed with it, but I guess it was mostly to enhance the lethality of the wolfsbane. The M.E. figures they both probably died within minutes of it being administered. The physical trauma done to the bodies was all post-mortem. The males were confirmed as weres, as Derek also noted. They had wolfsbane in their systems as well, but it seems to have been mixed and modified with other elements. It didn’t kill them, and the M.E. is trying to determine what it was combined with in order to determine its purpose. He says it’s a guess, but it might have been some kind of concoction to make the wolf stronger. Their causes of death were throats being ripped out, almost to the point of decapitation. He said based on his experience with wolves, that it was done in an almost ‘excited’ sense, not as overkill.”

John grimaced as he looked at the photos taken of the victims. “So whoever killed them was enjoying the kill, so not a crime of passion?” Jordan nodded at that, thinking that if Deucalion had been the one to kill them, he had thoroughly enjoyed it. “And I’m assuming there’s nothing on any of the bodies that could connect Deucalion to the deaths?”

Shaking his head, Jordan said “Nothing. Not only to link him to any of it, but nothing to link anyone, known or unknown.”

The Sheriff swore lightly, even while at the same time expecting such an answer. This Deucalion person seemed to be pretty smart to not leave anything behind that could link him to any type of crime. “Well let’s hope the pack turns something up then,” he said, closing the file over and locking it into a secured filing cabinet.

* * *

 

Isaac made his way through the market, putting things into the basket and marking them off the incredibly long list he’d been given. Isaac liked doing the shopping for the pack. While others would consider it beneath them or a chore, Isaac enjoyed the solitude. He also liked getting the first bite of anything sweet that was being bought. While being the omega of a werewolf pack was different from that of an animal wolf pack – in that omega wolves always ate last – Isaac wasn’t forced to eat last or anything but that didn’t mean that when something particularly tasty was being bought it wasn’t an all-out fight to see who got to it first. So Isaac would enjoy the perk of “he who buys gets first bite”.

He always got raised eyebrows when it was a big shopping trip. The pack ate stupid amounts of food, and all Isaac could think was thank god Derek was independently wealthy. The pack always pitched in financially, but there was no doubt that Derek shouldered the majority. But smart investments ensured that the crazy shopping bills would be paid. He was unloading the cart onto the belt at the cashier, who had raised her eyebrows at the amount of items being pulled out of the cart but wisely said nothing. He heard the Botoxed, spandex capri-wearing woman behind him gripe about the number of items he had and it taking forever and Isaac had no problems turning to her with a smile, smirking at her cart full of gluten-free, organic, tasteless hipster food. “I’m sure you won’t break if you use the self-check-out for your uppity items.” He gave her a toothy grin when she got butt-hurt and stared her down until she did indeed leave the line for self check-out. The old woman who had been behind her laughed, making a comment about hoping the ‘poor dear didn’t chip a nail in the process’. Isaac laughed and gave her a wink as he finally got to the last item. The old woman began to ask if he had a large family to take care of, and when he said he did, she commended him for taking such good care of them. She continued to chat him up, talking about her grandkids, then gave a whistle when the cashier quietly said, “That’ll be $423.06”. He swiped the credit card and joked, “It’s like feeding a pack of wolves I’m afraid,” then bade the old woman a good day as he rolled the cart out of the store.

Since Isaac owned a Honda he’d taken Derek’s Toyota. The FJ Cruiser had a great cargo area. Plenty of room to cart home $400 worth of groceries and injured wolves. He’d just put the last bag in and slammed the back door closed when he caught the scent of a wolf, no two, wolves, coming up on his back. He turned, putting his back to the car and watched as they sauntered up to him. He felt his hackles raise as they got closer. They were unknown wolves, he’d never seen them before, and if he had he’d remember identical twin wolves.

“Well, well, what do we have here Aiden?” The one on the left smirked. The other one, Aiden apparently, said “looks like a little Hale puppy to me Ethan, all out here by his lonesome.” They laughed, thinking they were the laugh of the century. Isaac stood his ground, refusing to cower in front of them. “What are you two doing here, you’re trespassing on Hale territory.” Ethan laughed while Aiden snorted.

“Please, you think we’re worried about that mongrel? We don’t need his permission to be here. He’s nothing compared to us. Besides, this will soon be our territory. Deucalion will enjoy ripping the Hale puppies to pieces. Course he might keep you around as his bitch, you look like you put out nicely.”

Isaac let out a growl at the insult to his alpha, and the not-so subtle threat they’d just made to him and his pack. There wasn’t much he could do right now though, unfortunately. He was outnumbered and judging by their size, he was out-muscled as well. He’d let them have their verbal fun, and if all else failed he’d let out a howl for back-up. He refused to react to their words, and when they seemed disappointed in that, they through a couple more crude comments to him before sauntering off again. He waited a few minutes before hopping into the SUV and driving out, taking a circuitous route just in case he was being followed. Course they probably already knew where the Hale house was, but better safe than sorry.

He pulled up quickly in front of the house, pack members already coming out to unload. He ignored them and ran in to find Derek. Once found, Isaac wasted no time in telling him about his encounter at the store. Derek, and Stiles he noticed with pride, both let out growls as Isaac told them about the twins. The other pack members could hear what was being said and they raced through putting the groceries away so that they could find out what was going on.

After he was done, Derek asked Isaac a question. “Did you see where they went when they left?” He nodded at his Alpha. “Yeah, I mean I wasn’t about to turn my back until they were gone. They must’ve walked, or at least parked a ways away. I saw them walk down the street, then cross at gas station, “Lou’s”, and they jogged into the tree line from there. I gave them another minute or two before I finally got back in the car and came home. I took a roundabout way in case they were following me.”

“Good, ok, this – this we can work with. We’ve lost any scent trail from the place those bodies were dumped, but if these two walked, we may be able to follow them. Scott, you and Laura head down to the market and see if you can pick up the scent trail. Actually, take Erica and Boyd with you as back-up.” He turned to the two wolves, “I want you two watching their back’s as they find the scent, got it?” When both nodded Derek told them to head out now before any possible trail could be tainted or lost. “Be careful and keep your senses open. I don’t know if this is a trap, or two cocky wolves being stupid.”

He sent his pack members out then turned to Stiles. “This is good, it’s a lead. It’s time to be more proactive. It’s obvious Deucalion is looking to involve the pack on this. We need to be ready.”

Stiles looked a little concerned, and felt useless. “What about the house? Do you think they know where we live? Is there any way to protect the house? Is there a ‘werewolf alarm’ system we can use?” He really didn’t want to uproot his son again, but at the same time he would ship him across the country to an aunt if it meant keeping Colin safe.

“Don’t worry,” Derek said with a smile, pulling his cell out, “I’ve got that covered.”

* * *

 

“Seriously dude, what the fuck?”

Stiles stood there, leaning against the railing watching the so-called invisible paint being spray painted onto various parts of the Hale house. Every so often Jordan would shake the can, then continue spraying, just offering a small smile but nothing else. He seemed to have a wordless conversation with Derek, who was on the other side of the porch. Derek raised an eyebrow, Jordan shrugged nonchalantly and Stiles ground his teeth.  Jordan finished whatever it was he was making on one of the windows before stepping back and re-capping the can. Stiles tried to see what, if anything, the can said. Maybe this was some kind of magic paint? Werewolf repellent? A fucking joke?

“Are we clear Derek?” Jordan asked quietly, and Derek nodded. There was no one around within at least a mile of the house that he could sense. “Yes, we have privacy.” Jordan turned to Stiles and seemed to study him for a second, as if judging whether he were worthy. Stiles couldn’t help but chew his bottom lip as his partner, a man he’d thought he’d really known, looked at him. “O.K., then, let’s do this.”

Derek put his hand out, stopping Jordan. “Be absolutely sure Jordan. Don’t do this on my account, we can leave.” Jordan just offered a smile and shook his head. “No, that’s quite alright Derek. To reveal myself to the Alpha Pair is an honor. But one I do hope you’ll keep to yourselves.”

Stiles was ready to jump up. He was about to see what Jordan was? Shit yeah man! But somehow he kept himself tightly coiled up, leg bouncing and thumb between his teeth in anticipation as Jordan began to murmur something in a foreign language. It didn’t sound like anything Stiles had ever heard, it sounded – ancient. As he spoke the words Stiles could see symbols begin to appear on and around the house where Jordan had sprayed the paint. Sigils began to glow red, almost shimmering. The chanting, for that was what he was actually doing, began to get louder, and Stiles couldn’t help but slowly move around to see Jordan’s face. He seemed to glow from the inside out, his eyes were shifting from his usual brown to an ethereal gold. Stiles felt his mouth drop open a little in awe because now Jordan was honest to fucking god glowing. The air directly behind him began to shimmer as Jordan raised both hands, palms out and facing the side of the house. There was no avoiding the yelp that escaped Stiles when an absolutely magnificent pair of black wings erupted from Jordan’s back just as some kind of light was released from his hands and encased the entire house in gold, making the sigils flare bright red, before fading back into normal light, and then fading completely from sight. The massive wings fluttered for a second before quickly folding in on themselves and disappearing once again.

Stiles just stood there, jaw slack and eyes round, utterly flabbergasted.

“Holy fucking cow,” he whispered.


	20. Chapter 20

 

The three men sat around the table, two of them quietly with small smiles, the third – not so quietly. Stiles felt like he was back in his teenage years when his ADHD ran rampant and sitting still was impossible. He didn’t know if he was scared, excited, disbelieving, all of the above?

“Wow, so really? Like for real dude?” A small nod from Jordan was all he got. Stiles jumped up, looking from Derek to Jordan. “So, are you evil then? Cuz, I would think that would be a given, but then I’ve worked with you for how long and hell man you don’t even like to squash the roaches that get into the station.”

Another small smile from Jordan, but nothing else. He was enjoying watching Stiles react. To be honest there was a very good reason he didn’t reveal himself to other supernaturals, the level of fear and the possibility of being hunted purely for the hell of it was too great a risk. But Stiles was taking his true form the way he suspected he would – like a kid in a candy store.

“Ok, ok, so like I doubt Jordan is your name right?” Jordan smiled again and shook his head. “No, I took the name Jordan Parrish. My true name is Sahiel.”

“Sah-hee-el? Wow cool. Hey kinda like Castiel right? From Supernatural? You watch that right? Sahiel…and you’re..” Stiles flapped his hands at Jordan.

“Lucifer’s brother, yes. And no, I’m not evil. Neither is my brother, that’s something that’s just been perpetuated by various religions to promote fear amongst their believers.” Stiles let out a ‘no waay’, then sat down and leaned his arms on the table. “Tell me more dude!”

So Jordan told him about himself and his family. That Lucifer was not inherently evil, neither was he. They were however in charge of punishing those who were deserving of it. Every few thousand years one of them would come top-side and pose as a human in order to keep up to date on humans. When Lucifer would leave Hell Jordan – Sahiel - would take his place in Hell. They more often than not would take some kind of position in law enforcement.

“So the whole monster-goat-loving-virgin-sacrificing thing isn’t real?” Stiles asked, honestly interested. This was utterly fascinating, his partner was Lucifer’s freaking brother! Jordan shook his head at the question. “Nope. We only punish the truly evil, we protect the innocent. Humans have taken the ball and run with it in terms of the mythology of Hell.”

“So, what was it you were doing out there, to the house? What were you painting?” Jordan explained the various sigils and glyphs he’d painted around the Hale house, how they would alert the wolves and himself if someone approached who wasn’t already pack. It would give them about ten minutes notice when the sigils he’d placed around the edge of preserve were crossed, and those against the house itself would prevent anyone who wasn’t pack from entering the house. Unfortunately that meant that from this point on the Sheriff and Colin would need to be invited into the house each time, but once inside would be safe.

After finally satiating Stiles’ questions the three began to discuss ideas on how to proceed. It was an hour later when Scott, Laura, Erica, and Boyd returned with Cora also in tow to report on what they’d found. The five sat down as Derek ran inside to grab waters for his betas, handing each a cold bottle. While the four betas had gone scouting for the twin wolves Cora had worked her way through areas in Derek’s car, scouting some of the abandoned buildings in the old industrial area.

Scott gulped his water without coming up for air until it was empty before he spoke. “OK, so we have a general idea of where they may be. We tracked them through the southern edge of the preserve all the way down to the old Robertson place. From there it broke off towards that area where all those car dealerships used to be and that clothing factory. We lost the trail there, it’s possible they got into a car at that point, I’m not sure. I didn’t want to go scouting into that area until I talked to you first. But then coming back we decided to cut through the old woods section and I caught another scent. Definitely wolf, but different from the twins. We followed it to the Nemeton where it stopped. It looks like someone’s been messing around there. I could see ash on the surface, I could also faintly smell wolfsbane.”

Derek looked pensive at mention of the Nemeton. Nothing ever good came from people messing with it. “OK, good thinking on holding back. If we scout the old factory area I want it done with masking agents. If they are in there somewhere I don’t want to give us away. I’ll be honest, the fact we were able to track them that far has me a little concerned. This pack is smart, and right now I’m more apt to believe this to be a trap than stupidity on their part by leaving a scent trail.”

Scott nodded his agreement at Derek’s thoughts. It had seemed too easy, like they were being led there. It was either exactly where this pack was hiding out and wanted the Hale pack to show up and be ambushed, or it was a decoy to get them out of the way of their true target.

“OK, I want us all on high alert. My instincts are telling me this is all coming to a head soon.” Derek looked over at Stiles. “I know he’s not going to be happy, but I really think we should keep Colin out of school.” Stiles agreed immediately. There was no reason to send him to school, even though he knew Colin was getting bored and was missing his friends.

“I’ll bring Ben over to stay here, that way there’s someone else his age to hang with,” Laura said, guessing at Stiles’ train of thought and also knowing that her own son would go crazy being cooped up like that. “It’s probably not a bad idea anyway Laura, I’d feel better actually if the boys stayed here. The wards are up and boosted, so they should be safe here,” Derek said. Laura agreed with her brother. She wasn’t about to be the annoying sister when it came to the kids. She knew Derek would die to protect them, and he took their safety very seriously.

“Stiles, why don’t we go pay a visit to Deaton, see if he’s heard anything regarding the Nemeton. It’s been pretty quiet the last few years, but if Deucalion is messing around with it that might change.” Stiles just bobbed his head, because – well – why the hell not go ask about a magical tree stump? I mean he was a werewolf, sitting next to a fallen angel, what’s a magical piece of wood in the grand scheme of things?

* * *

 

“You were successful?” Deucalion didn’t bother to look up from the paperwork on his desk as he asked the twin wolves in front of them the question. Aiden smirked, always the cocky one. “Oh yeah, I thought that pretty little puppy was going to wet himself.” When both brothers began to chuckle Deucalion looked up and gave them a sharp look.

“And did he follow you back?” Deucalion found the twins to be a pain in his ass. They had their usefulness in trapping humans to be used in testing. They could charm the pants off of men and women with promises of wild nights of threesome debauchery, but at the same time their young age and with it young attitude were tiresome. They didn’t truly understand how the world worked, the sacrifices that had to be made in order to succeed. So he would suffer them until they no longer proved useful, and then he would put them down and absorb their power.

“Naw man, he didn’t. But he went running back to Hale I’m sure to tell him all about it. We’re pretty sure Hale sent a party out to track us. We made sure to leave enough scent behind to find.”

Duke leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers as he looked at the twins. They were fairly successful, but didn’t follow through to make sure of it. Typical youthful laziness he thought. But they were right. Hale was a smart alpha, he would sent his betas out to track the brothers. What Hale would do once he found them was still unknown, but Duke wouldn’t underestimate Derek Hale. He wasn’t nearly the alpha his mother was, but then no alpha was. Despite his bone deep hatred for Talia Hale and all of her descendants there was no denying her power.

He felt pretty sure her son would be much easier to kill than she had been.

* * *

 

Stiles kept getting raised eyebrows and pointed looks from Deaton as he roamed around his secret office in the back of the vet clinic, but he couldn’t help it. There were books in here that looked older than time itself. Deaton and Derek had been talking for a few minutes about the Nemeton and the ash found there, and Stiles had tuned them out. The books were far more interesting than a tree stump. He saw one book opened already and laying on the table. Stiles looked up and saw the two men had turned away from him to discuss another open book, so Stiles took that as an ok for him to peek through this book. He pulled out the chair and sat down before pulling the book closer to himself so he could see the pages better.

The pages were all hand drawn with script that was impossible to read but for the notes written in the margins where it looked like someone had translated the page to English. Beautiful drawings accompanied most of the pages and Stiles was mesmerized by the artistic quality. He flipped through pages detailing mythical creatures that he thought only lived in books, but that according to some of the margin notes were actually real. Kanimas, various were-animals, kelpies, witches, you name it - it was in the book. When he turned to another page the title caught his eye. It seemed to be some type of instructional spell. He scanned the page, his interest peaking when he realized it was in English. When he got to the end and realized just what the spell was for, he felt his cheeks warm up with wonder. He didn’t know how anything like that could happen, it wasn’t possible. But all the same he caught himself looking to see if Derek and Deaton were looking towards him, and when he saw they were still bent over the book he grabbed his phone and turned on the camera app, taking a quick shot of the page. At the sound of the click Derek turned around and Stiles grinned while he slammed the book closed, then tried – and failed- to look nonchalant.

Derek just raised an eyebrow before turning back to the book, so Stiles began to twirl the chair around, letting his feet swing out a little. There was a large bookcase behind the desk jammed with books of all sizes, and there didn’t seem to be any kind of organizational system to them. Stiles was about three seconds from putting them all in alphabetical order when Deaton turned towards him. “I have them organized just the way I like them, Alpha Stilinski.” Dude, what the hell? Stiles thought. Creepy old man can read his thoughts. Regardless, he put his hands up and waggled his fingers as if to say “sure thing, no touching”.

By the time Derek and Deaton were done Stiles was leaning back in the chair with his head hanging off the side, feet up on the desk and he was trying to balance a pencil on his nose. Derek smirked at his mate and felt that little niggling, instigating shiver go through him.

“STILES!”

Stiles promptly flailed up and out of the chair, catching the arm of the seat inside his shirt collar and almost hanging himself. After several muttered curses and threats at the chair Stiles got himself untangled and away from the chair. Derek couldn’t help but laugh. Most of what he’d seen of his mate was subdued, weighed down by his son’s illness, his job, and his current situation. But the last few days he’d begun to see what he believed to be his true self, a clumsy dork. Derek loved it. Stiles glared at him and muttered a “rude, dude”, before laughing to himself about how it rhymed.

“If you’re quite through dancing with Alan’s chair, it’s time to go. We didn’t find anything.” Stiles threw another half-assed glare at Derek before straightening his shirt and putting a jaunty tilt to his head because by god he meant to do all that with the chair.

“I will visit the Nemeton to see if anything is amiss with the ley lines or if I feel anything else. If I do I will notify you at once Alpha Hale,” Deaton said. Derek thanked him before flicking Stiles on the nose and herding him out the back door of the clinic.

“OK so now what?” Stiles asked as they both climbed into the SUV.  Derek sat for a second before starting the ignition. “Well, we need to get a better idea of what they’re up to. We have a general idea of either where they are, or where they want us to think they are. The problem is trying to scout that area without leaving our scents behind to alert them. Deaton’s going to work on something more effective than what I have.”

“What do you have?”

Derek made a face. “Cat pee.”

“Dude. Gross.”

* * *

 

“Jordan, can you hold the fort down for me for about an hour? I need to take Colin home to his dad for the evening.” John had stepped out of his office while putting his Sheriff’s jacket on.

“Uh, yeah, sure boss. Can you give me about five minutes before you go? I need you to sign off on something real quick,” Jordan asked.

Before John could say ‘of course’ to his deputy Jackson jumped up. “Hey Sheriff, if you want I can take Colin home for you, that way you don’t have to leave.”

John smiled at his deputy, even if it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Thanks but no, Jackson. You know the drill. No one knows where Stiles is but me. I’ll take Colin myself.” Jackson bobbed his head with a ‘no problem boss!’ thrown out and went back to his desk. He couldn’t help the side looks though as the Stilinski brat came out of the Sheriff’s office with his backpack and took his grandfather’s hand. After a few minutes the Sheriff signed off on whatever it was Jordan was working on, then spoke lowly to the man so no one could hear him before heading out of the station.

By the time they’d made it through the preserve and up to the Hale house dusk was just starting to set it. It was a nice warm evening as summer came closer, the air was beginning to warm up but there was still the occasional crisp breeze to keep it from becoming too much. Soon enough the days would become scorching hot and John would end up dealing with police calls that seemed to center around people doing stupid things while in a heat daze.

The house was lit up with lights and as he got closer he could see Scott step out onto the porch to let them in. Stiles had told him about the new wards being placed and that now Colin and himself would need to be escorted in. It was still something to wrap his head around, all of the magic and supernatural creatures. John never would have believed any of it to be possible, but here he was, facing it head on.

Scott smiled at the two and welcomed into the house where it sounded like everyone was having a good time. “You’re just in time for dinner,” Scott said. “Boyd and Erica are cooking tonight and it promises to be good. And Colin, Ben is going to be staying with us for a little while too, so you guys can play together,” Scott said to the boy with a smile on his face. Colin actually looked pleased at the thought and ran into the house to find him. John could hear Stiles greet him and hug him as they stepped into the main area. When he caught Scott’s eye the beta nodded at him. “We’re keeping the pack close for safety. We think Deucalion is getting ready to move. Two of his betas cornered Isaac and made threats, and we found evidence of someone using the Nemeton. Colin will be safe in this house, I promise.”

John surprisingly found himself believing the man as he took in the room. It was packed with werewolves who, despite the carefree looks, were definitely alert. He watched as Colin ran over to hug Derek and smiled when Derek said something to Colin that made him giggle. Erica popped out from the kitchen and also said something to Colin that made him smile and offer a shy wave to her. Erica beamed and fist-bumped Stiles in victory.

Scott had moved off to grab a soda for the Sheriff and John just sat back and watched. Both Derek and Stiles had come over to say hi and the rest of the pack had smiled at him and offered waves of hello, welcoming him in. Isaac and Laura had been playing Boggle with Ben when they’d walked in and now Colin was sitting in Isaac’s lap playing as well while talking animatedly with Ben. As he watched he saw Isaac constantly touch Colin, ruffling his hair or touching an arm, resting his head on top of Colin’s. Laura was also making opportunities to touch his grandson as well. He jumped when Scott sat down on the couch next to him and handed him a Coke.

“They’re scent marking him. Making him pack,” Scott said, as if reading John’s mind. “They don’t even realize they’re doing it.”

“They don’t?” John asked. That just seemed odd.

Scott took a sip of his soda and nodded. He spoke quietly even though all of the wolves could hear him, but it gave John the illusion of privacy. “Colin is a new puppy in most ways, just as Ben is. Our natural instinct is to scent mark pack pups, it creates a stronger bond within the pack as well as offers a type of identification. If a non-pack wolf were to catch their scent they’d know that the pups are Hales.”

Interesting, John thought. It was almost like a mothering instinct, but not restricted to just the females. He’d seen how touchy feely the wolves were, and now that Scott had mentioned it, it did seem automatic when it happened. Like they weren’t even thinking about it while doing it. Even Ben was doing it to Colin he noticed.

“So is Ben, what is he? Is he a wolf?” John asked. Scott nodded. “Yeah, he’s a born wolf. Laura’s husband was human but because Laura is the wolf who carried him it was automatic that Ben would be born wolf.”

John noticed the past tense use of ‘human’ and was going to ask if he’d been turned, but Scott beat him to it. “Malcolm died right after Ben was born. Got caught in a robbery gone wrong. He was away from pack and there was no way to get to him to turn him.” Scott whispered the words but Laura could still hear them, and she offered a small sad smile when Scott bowed his head to her.

“I’m so sorry,” John whispered as well, nodding back to the woman when she looked at him.

“Anyways, enough of the sad stuff. Shit’s about to rain down on us so tonight we have fun,” Scott laughed, clapping john on the back. Erica came out from the kitchen and announced the food was ready and everyone jumped up to help bring it out to the large table. Fingers were being slapped away from the dishes when someone tried to steal bits before it was placed down and there were calls for what people wanted to drink. Eventually the table was loaded with dishes full of amazing smells and sights. John sat in between Stiles and Colin with Derek on the other side of Stiles. Ben sat next to Colin so that they could talk and everyone dug into the enormous amounts of food.

John found himself joking and laughing, telling embarrassing stories of Stiles as a kid, and shaking his head at funny stories about the rest of the pack. Erica wasted no time in regaling the table with the story of when Derek got drunk on wolfsbane laced beer when he was fifteen and streaked through the school hallways only to be caught by the principal who was leading a new student tour. Then Laura joined in to tell about the aftermath of it when he got home and had to tell their mom what he’d done.

Despite knowing it was probably the calm before the storm John enjoyed the evening surrounded by the pack and the warm feelings that filled the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! This month has been the month that all our electronics decided to break. PS4, laptop, ipad, you name it, all breaking within 3 freaking days of each other. Grr!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm very sorry for the delay in getting this up. Between organizing an event for 20,000 people over Memorial Day weekend and really bad writers block, I just couldn't make headway. 
> 
> I'll admit to not being 100% happy with this chapter, but hopefully you'll stick with it :-)
> 
> And as always, comments are like crack!

Deucalion stepped quietly through the forest, masking his steps despite knowing the area was clear of any others. He prided himself on stealth and had taken down many an opponent with a light step and a masked scent. He could smell the scent of some of the Hale pack, knew they’d been through here recently. Probably when they’d been tracking the twins. As he approached the Nemeton and could still smell them he knew they’d been close enough to possibly see that he’d been there. He didn’t much care, if they knew he was here it was no concern of his. He was strong, stronger than any of the Hales. And soon he’d be stronger than an entire pack of Hales.

He made his way up to the massive stump, approaching it with reverence. Even now he could feel the power it emitted, calling to him. He closed his eyes and let it flow over him, through him. He inhaled deeply, tasting the scents of the forest on his tongue. Wet leaves, pine bark, it all mixed together to create a remarkable flavor. Part of him resented the sense of calm it instilled in him, since it was part of the Hale territory. But there was no avoiding the memories of being a young child growing up in the village of Sturry in County Kent back in England. Images of the forests surrounding his home came unbidden as he saw himself running through the woods with his brothers and sisters on the full moon, his mother and father following the pups and keeping them safe.

Back then Deucalion had been happy, carefree. His only worry in life had been whether he’d get an extra yorkie at dinner or if one of his siblings would beat him to it. They would all fight over it, trying to see who could get to it first, and each time his father would grab it with a chuckle and hold it up out of their reach before quickly tearing it up into sections and giving each child a piece. After dinner they would play a game together as a family before all heading off to bed, his parents tucking each of them into their beds with kisses.

That was back then. That was back before his family had been slaughtered in their own home. Back before hunters had stormed into their small house, shooting his parents with wolfsbane bullets before slaughtering his siblings. Back when he’d been a small, weak little pup hiding under the house while his family died above him. But he wasn’t that weak pup any more. Now he was strong, stronger than anyone out there. He’d grown up, become a man. And slaughtered every last hunter in England.

Shaking himself out of the morose thoughts he placed his bag down on to the Nemeton and opened it, carefully removing the jars inside. He uncapped them before setting them out in the center of the stump, then placed partially melted candles in a circle around them. He next removed a lighter and a bundle of herbs wrapped in twine. Flicking the lighter he lit the candles, then lit the herbs, blowing gently on them to grow the flame. He murmured quietly the words he’d memorized, holding the herb bundle as it burned and letting the ashes fall into a pile. As it burned down to his fingers he dropped the last bit then dipped his fingers into the pile of ash. Drawing the ancient runes needed for the spell in ash around the stump he continued to murmur the spell, invoking the magic of the Nemeton, asking it to strengthen the powerful liquid inside the bottles. When he was done he felt a breeze rush past him and he smiled, thanking the Nemeton quietly. He packed up the things he’d brought out and made his way back out of the preserve, as quietly as he’d come in.

* * *

 

Derek stopped, his movement halting so suddenly Stiles promptly walked into his back and bounced off. As he was about to let loose with a snarky comment he felt the hairs on his neck rise – his hackles literally raising.

“What’s going on?” He whispered, watching Derek scent the air and scan the woods.

“Not sure, one of the wards has been triggered.” Derek couldn’t hear, see or smell anything, but the wards were set to be triggered by supernatural creatures not belonging to the pack. He motioned for Stiles to follow him as quietly as possible while at the same time taking his phone out and sending a quick pack message off alerting them.

Derek led them quickly towards the Nemeton, it was the ward in that area that had been triggered and with the evidence of someone messing around it recently Derek figured whoever was out there was probably near it. As they crept closer Derek took out the vial he’d picked up from Deaton earlier. Time to try it out he thought as he popped the top and dribbled some on himself, then Stiles. He pointedly ignored the put-out look Stiles gave him at having something unknown dripped on him. As the Nemeton came into view Derek just caught the backside of someone leaving, a bag slung over his shoulders. Derek couldn’t see who it was, nor get a scent. Whoever it was must be masking themselves. It used to be impossible to mask your scent, and Derek had to admit it was becoming a bit of a pain in the ass that it was possible to do so. Course it hadn’t stopped him from using it.

Derek put his finger to his mouth, silently telling Stiles to keep quiet, and they followed the man out of the preserve. When they came to the edge and were about to lose their cover they hung back and tucked themselves in low amongst the bushes. The man they followed finally stopped at a luxury sedan parked on the side of the road and when he turned to open his trunk and deposit his bag they finally were able to see who it was.

Once he climbed into the front seat and turned the engine over in a quiet hum and pulled away Stiles felt safe enough to speak. “What’s he up to?” He whispered to Derek. Derek just shook his head, still looking in the direction the car had taken off to. Derek took his phone out again and pulled up his messaging app, quickly shooting off a text to Deaton. “I’m not sure, but I’m going to have Deaton come out and check out the Nemeton while we know whatever it was he was doing is still fresh.” The phone dinged with a reply and Derek read it off to Stiles, it saying Deaton was on his way.

* * *

 

The man stood with his eyes closed, hands out like he was warming them over a fire. “Yes, I can feel it. Some very strong magic was used. The Nemeton is uneasy. It – It wasn’t quite dark magic that was used, but – hmm… yes it seems what magic was used was not for a pure purpose.” Deaton spoke haltingly, like he was doing a psychic reading and waiting for the spirits to speak to him. When he opened his eyes he moved closer to the stump and laid his hands on it gently, moving them as if to sooth the remains of the tree. He ran fingers through the ash left behind and brought them to his face, smelling it. “There is herbal ash and wax drippings in a circle. I can’t be certain of course, but Deucalion may have been using the Nemeton’s power to strengthen something. What that something is, I have no idea.”

“What do you mean, it’s uneasy? It’s a tree stump, how can it be uneasy?” Stiles asked, not trying to be disrespectful but honestly not understanding how a tree could have feelings. “How can you even tell that?” Stiles was poking at the stump, then yipped when he cut himself on a jagged edge. A few drops of blood dropped down onto the wood before he watched in amazement as the small cut immediately closed up by itself. He let out a little ‘cool’ before turning back to Deaton.

Deaton turned to the two alphas and smiled. “As a druid I can make a connection with things in the natural world. This tree is ancient, older than anything else in this country, or continent for that matter. This tree is the center point for several ley lines that run through this part of the country, it channels the energy and magic that flow through those lines. All of that magic converges here and can be used by those with the knowledge. Deucalion has obviously figured out a way to tap into some of that magic.”

Derek asked him about it being uneasy, wanting to know what he had meant by that. “The Nemeton is neutral. All magic is. There is no good or bad, black or white magic, only good and bad magic _users_. The Nemeton is uneasy by what it perceives the purpose of Deucalion’s spell was. The Nemeton is all about balance, and if it is feeling uneasy it could be because this is not the first time Deucalion has used it for negative reasons.”

Derek was not afraid to admit that Deaton’s words left him feeling troubled. He’d grown up with a deep respect for the Nemeton, the Hale pack were the protectors of not only this territory, but of the Nemeton itself. If it was uneasy, then so was he. Derek thanked his emissary for making the trip out so quickly then walked him back out of the preserve and to the Hale house where his car was parked. Jordan was sitting on the porch eating an apple when the three men walked up and Deaton smiled at him with a small head bow.

“I am truly impressed by your workmanship Deputy. Perhaps one day you could give me some pointers on how to create wards as strong as your own.”

Jordan blushed and thanked the man with a promise to share notes. Stiles rubbed his forehead as he looked at his partner, _the freaking brother to Lucifer himself_ , as he honest-to-god blushed at the druid’s words. What the fuck was his world?

* * *

 

John hung up the phone as he stood quickly from his desk. As he rushed out of his office he could hear dispatch taking calls and the sense of urgency was setting in.

“Listen up folks! We’ve got ourselves a situation. There’s reports of an explosion down in the old milk factory on Division Street. I need all available bodies on scene. EMS is on their way but we have no idea what happened, if we have casualties or what caused it.”

John nodded at his deputies as they began to grab gear and race out of the station. There were a couple of rookies who would stay behind to man the station but with them being a small town he didn’t have tons of deputies and needed as much man-power as possible.

“Mary, can you watch Colin for me? I’m going to put in a call to Derek and see if he can come get him.”

The receptionist told the Sheriff of course she would watch him and got up to head back to the office where Colin was playing with some cars. She walked in and smiled at the little imp as he sat on the floor building something out of Legos.

“Hey buddy, grampa has to go to work for a little bit, but he’s calling Derek to come get you, ok? Until he gets here you’re gonna stay with me. You want me to bring your Legos over to my desk?”

 

Colin looked up at the woman before dutifully getting up off the floor to begin picking his toys up. His grandpa rushed in and told him that he had to leave for a little bit to take care of an accident, but that Derek was coming to get him. Colin finished picking up the little bricks while Mary also scooped a bunch up, then they both made their way to the front reception area.

“All right Mary, Derek’s been called. He’ll be here in about 15, 20 minutes to pick up Colin. Thank you so much for watching him!” The Sheriff yelled over his shoulder as he hurried out of the side door of the station. Mary just waved a hand at him, helping Colin to set up on a clean area of her desk. She rolled a second chair over and Colin climbed up into it on to his knees and went right back to playing. She couldn’t help but feel a little bad that this was normal for the little boy. She just hoped Stiles was okay and recovering in safety. She’d been here that night he’d been hurt and that was sight she wouldn’t soon forget. She could only be grateful that Colin was spared the sight. She thought for sure Stiles had been dead and even though she was no doctor he’d seemed to be hurt beyond help. Obviously those doctors saved his life, they must’ve been miracle workers.

“OK then young man, what are we building tonight?” Mary asked as she settled herself in her own chair. Colin began to explain the construction process of his car repair slash ice cream shop and what part she could build with him. She just smiled as she picked out some bricks to work with and watched as Colin was arranging his own bricks by size and color.

They worked in silence for some time, Colin’s tongue peeking out from between his teeth as he continued to add on to his building. The two deputies left behind were busy in the back, one on dispatch and the other moving around as he filed paperwork and did grunt work.

Mary looked up at the sound of the side door opening and nodded at the deputy who walked in, then frowning slightly as he stalked towards her. “Is something the matter Deputy Whittemore?”

* * *

 

Kali swiped her finger across the screen of her phone and brought it up to her ear. “What,” she ground out, not in the mood to deal with asshats.

“It’s done,” came the reply.

“What’s done jackass? Be more specific,” she spat.

“I managed to empty the station. A nice little explosion down at Jerry’s Dairy and that stupid old man sent every fucking deputy down there to deal with it except for two noobs. It was easy as pie to walk right in and snatch the little brat.”

Kali sucked in a breath. He’d actually done it? They had all heard the explosion but hadn’t known what had happened. She’d give the ass props for arranging that little diversion. “Bring him down immediately so Duke can work him. Good work.”

“So, now will you give me what I want?” Asked the whiny voice on the phone. Kali rubbed her forehead, she may be a werewolf with miraculous healing abilities, but even wolves had their limits when it came to humans causing headaches.

“Yes, just get the kid down here now.” She hung up, not waiting for any more of a response, while she headed into Duke’s office to give him the update. He would be pleased, she though.

* * *

 

Jackson hung up his phone with a cruel looking smile, eyeballing the crying kid currently gagged and strapped to his chair in his apartment. God he hated kids, with their snotty noses and incessant questions. And this one in particular, this one he would not be sad to turn over to a pack of ravenous wolves.

He pocketed his phone and walked over to the kid and squatted down so he was eye-level. “Alright you sniveling little shit, time to take a ride.”

When he arrived at the location the pack was using as their operation headquarters Ennis was already waiting outside. He stood there looking like a tank, legs spread a little and thick, corded arms crossed over his chest. He was giving Jackson a look like this whole thing was below him and Jackson was the gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe. Jackson stepped out of his Porsche before pulling the child out from the back seat.

“Bring him inside,” Ennis snapped. He was in no mood to deal with this human or the child and honestly he was a little unsure about bringing the child here. Deucalion was toeing a dangerous line by taking a wolf’s pup. He turned and strode inside, not looking to see if the human was following him or not. He didn’t care one way or the other. But he could hear the other man bitching as he dragged the child into the door and followed him down the stairs as they headed to where Deucalion was waiting.

Kali met them part way and had a wicked smirk on her face. “You actually did it, I’m surprised,” she said as the three came to a stop in front of her. Jackson just glared at her. “Of course I did. I said I would, didn’t I? Now are you going to give me what I want?” Ennis snorted but Kali just leered at him. “Of course pretty boy, I’ll give you just what you need. Follow me.”

The group made their way deep into the warehouse to the small office Duke used to oversee his operation. Kali knocked once before opening the door and motioning for Jackson to walk in. He dragged Colin with him and Kali and Ennis stepped in afterward, putting themselves against the exit.

“Ahh, I see you have gotten your hands on the good Sheriff’s grandson. Bring him here human.”

Jackson couldn’t help the shiver at Deucalion’s words. He’d never met the Alpha, had never even spoken to him, and despite the innocuous words just now spoken Jackson felt a sliver of unease. This man would soon be his alpha, he thought, so he squared his shoulders, adopted his smug look and brought Colin over. Deucalion gently took the boy, shushing him as the boy continued to cry around his gag.

“Now, now child, enough of that,” he cooed as he undid the gag and removed it from the boy’s face. Colin began to hiccup through his tears as Deucalion then began to undo the rope tying his hands together. “Now, that’s better, eh? Let’s get you cleaned up, then I think it’s time to call your daddy.”

Colin wiped his nose with the back of his hand, tears still falling but somewhat slower.

“Will you take me to my daddy?” Came the small voiced question.

Duke just smiled at the boy and patted his head. “Oh yes my dear boy, I am most certainly bringing you back to daddy.”

 

 

 


End file.
